Phantom Island marks the band’s second release on their own p(doom) records label, and sees our intrepid heroes add a new dimension to their ever-evolving song craft, embracing the symphonic and embroidering their tangles of lysergic riff and melody with strings and horns and woodwind.
If Flight b741 was an album of rambunctious adventure stories, Phantom Island picks up that thread, spinning its tales of quests and piracy out into the stars. But it’s a more interior album than its predecessor, more melancholy – more “introverted”, bandleader Stu Mackenzie says. Sure, these are tales of high adventure in galaxies far, far away, but the focus is less on the action, and more on the interior lives of those adventurers, reflecting the kind of insight Gizz have gleaned from 15 years of travelling the world and leaving their homes behind to take their music to the people. There’s a wiser, more mature, more sensitive Gizz at play here, questioning their place within the universe, their responsibilities, the ties that bind. “When I was younger, I was just interested in freaking people out,” admits Mackenzie, “but as I get older, I’m much more interested in connecting with people.”
King Gizzard will embark on an Australian tour this December, playing a mix of orchestra and rock shows. The orchestra shows, which include two nights at the famous Sydney Opera House, will be conducted by Chad Kelly and feature a full 29-piece orchestra. A full list of the band’s tour dates with tickets available here and detailed below.
AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
Orchestra Shows
Dec 2 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Sydney Opera House *
Dec 3 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Sydney Opera House *
Dec 9 – Meeanjin/Brisbane, QLD @ Princess Theatre #
Dec 12 – Naarm/Melbourne, VIC @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl %+
Rock N’ Roll Shows
Dec 5 – Warrane/Sydney, NSW @ Enmore Theatre ~
Dec 7 – Meeanjin/Brisbane, QLD @ Fortitude Music Hall ~
Dec 13 – Naarm/Melbourne, VIC @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl ^
* with Sydney Symphony Orchestra
# with Queensland Symphony Orchestra
% with Orchestra Victoria
~ with Party Dozen
^ with Barkaa
+ with Folk Bitch Trio
