Words & Photos by Anthony Abu-Hanna
New Haven’s Westville Music Bowl hosted a midweek spectacle that defied genre, logic, and just about every musical expectation. Psychedelic rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard brought their expansive, shape-shifting sound to Connecticut for a special Wednesday night performance. And they didn’t come alone. Backing them for the evening was New York City’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s, elevating the show into something truly unique.
If New York is America’s cultural melting pot, King Gizzard might be the same for music. Their sound draws from jam band improvisation, psychedelic rock, heavy metal, and even orchestral composition. It’s hard to define them, and that’s exactly the point.
Going in, I had never listened to them. I’d heard the hype and the stories, but wasn’t sure what to expect. As Forrest Gump once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” The same could be said about a King Gizzard show. The crowd reflected that unpredictability, with jam band lifers, indie fans, metalheads, spun-out wooks, and curious newcomers all gathered together. The merch line, wrapped around the venue for a special edition shirt, only confirmed that something out of the ordinary was about to happen.
The night was divided into two sets. The first featured a live performance of their latest album, Phantom Island, played in full. The record leans into orchestral rock and was originally recorded with a studio orchestra, now brought to life onstage with St. Luke’s. Songs like the title track were even more vivid in person. Lush strings, woozy guitar layers, and psych-infused arrangements filled the Bowl with an eerie, beautiful energy. As the band settled in, the connection with the crowd deepened. The orchestra added an element of drama and scale that transformed each track.
The second set leaned harder into the band’s rock roots, though the orchestra remained on stage. This wasn’t another album front-to-back, but a curated tour through their discography. They opened with The River, a dreamy slow burn reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s spacier moments. From there, the tempo and volume rose.
Crumbling Castle picked up the pace with swirling riffs and rhythmic shifts. Then came Mars for the Rich, a snarling anti-billionaire anthem that landed with serious weight. Dragon followed, diving deeper into heavy metal territory with pounding drums and frenetic solos.
To end the night, they brought out Iron Lung, a thick, sludgy psychedelic closer that stretched time and space in all the right ways.
Watching a band like King Gizzard perform with a full orchestra isn’t just rare—it’s transformative. The combination of strings and synths, distortion and harmony, created something that felt bigger than the sum of its parts. It was equal parts rock show and cinematic score.
If you’ve never seen a band pull off something like this, don’t wait for next time.
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