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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Goes From Flutes to Funk in ‘Astroturf’ Video

Clip also includes footage of band members goofing around in New Orleans
Photo: Dannah Gottlieb

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard has yet to play any songs live from its 2022 album Changes, but a new video for the supremely funky song “Astroturf” gives fans a glimpse of what to expect. In the Jason Galea-shot clip, the group’s six members are augmented by Smarts saxophonist Stella Rennex as they continually switch from instrument to instrument while translating the track’s jam-packed sound in their Australian studio.

The video also includes footage of band members goofing off during downtime in New Orleans, including frontman Stu Mackenzie having a tarot card reading on the street and keyboardist Ambrose Kenny-Smith balancing a parrot on each shoulder.

 

Bassist Lucas Harwood told SPIN last month that although he didn’t play the smile-inducing bass solo on the recorded version of “Astroturf,” he spent hours at home learning it ahead of hopeful live performances on Gizzard’s 2023 world tour.

Changes is funny because it has taken years to come together, and there were two or three incarnations of each song,” he said of the project, work on which began as far back as 2017. “That’s just the part that ended up on the record, and it’s incredible. I’ve learned it, and it’s so fun to play. I don’t feel bitter in any way when that kind of stuff happens. Everyone contributes, and we see what sticks. We really trust Stu as a producer to pick and choose what ends up on the finished products. I didn’t play or write a good portion of the recorded bass lines, but I love learning and interpreting them. It’s a privilege.”

With progress continuing on two new albums and a Melbourne warmup show scheduled for Feb. 25, Gizzard will return to the road on a spring European tour beginning March 3 in Amsterdam. In June, the group will play unique U.S. residencies in four cities and its largest American headlining show ever at the 17,000-capacity Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 21.