King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – 25 May 2025 (Poble Espanyol, Barcelona)

To give you an idea, as you climb the curves of Montjuïc Mountain from the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, it’s difficult to know what to expect on the third night of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard‘s residency at Barcelona’s Poble Espanyol this weekend. If you take the time to watch the two previous concerts that the Australians have broadcast on YouTube, review the variety of songs in their setlists, and consider how they have picked and chosen from their extensive discography, you can only take a deep breath and trust that the Melbourne band will put on a unique show that night.

Stu Mackenzie, King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, Barcelona 2025 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

And so it was! In sextet format and with a giant screen on which lysergic images were projected, the Australians started their concert with an accelerated rhythm, performing ‘O.N.E.’, ‘Doom City’ and ‘Supreme Ascendancy’. They surprised the audience by leaving Ambrose Kenny-Smith free on vocals for the latter, which elevated the theme of L.W. (2021) and made it the best song of the first half of the concert.

Ambrose Kenny-Smith, King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, Barcelona 2025 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

Unfortunately for us, from that point onwards, the show was interspersed with songs similar to Flight b741 (2024), as well as others that were closer to their more psychedelic style. In this way, the calm ‘You Can Be Your Silhouette‘ or ‘Antarctica‘ coexisted with the intense ‘The Lord of Lightning‘ or ‘The Balrog‘, which lowered the incredible atmosphere created in the first three tracks. Almost as if they were concatenated, blues-rock songs such as ‘Cut Throat Boogie‘ (an incredible exchange between Joey and his guitar, and Ambrose on harmonica), ‘Daily Blues‘, and the more rocking ‘Le Risque‘ came next. Then, they surprised everyone by changing style with the fun ‘The Garden Goblin‘, sung entirely by Craig Cook, who returned to a greater role on the keyboards.

Cook Craig, King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, Barcelona 2025 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

At this point, the concert picked up speed, treating us to a dreamy final 40 minutes. First came an extended version of ‘Magenta Mountain‘, which at times bordered on Pet Shop Boys‘ synthpop, and then a 15-minute bacchanal of noise and psychedelia. The highlight was undoubtedly ‘The Grim Reaper‘, the song of the night. With a mix of synthesizers, guitars and Stu Mackenzie’s flute, not to mention Ambrose’s Beastie Boys-style rapping with a nod to Kneecap‘s ‘H.O.O.D.‘ in the lyrics, the song descended into madness. The whole audience ended up jumping in unison, turning the Poble Espanyol square into a massive rave.

Joey Walker, King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, Barcelona 2025 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

With the audience already on their feet, the more metal sound of the PetroDragonic Apocalypse (2024) would take centre stage in the final moments. First came the accelerated ‘Converge‘, followed by the ‘Superbug‘ which took advantage of the atmosphere created by the favourable wind. The end came with the incredible ‘Flamethrower‘, where the band showed their instrumental virtuosity and the power they can display when they set their minds to it, giving Stu Mackenzie the opportunity to show off his vocal skills.

King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard, Barcelona 2025 – Photo taken by Víctor Ramos Santafé for Indieofilo^©

There were nearly two hours of concerts in total over three days, and the feeling that they could play for hours without tiring their audience, who would follow them on any adventure they wished to undertake. A week-long residency in a city? Done! A classic hip-hop album? Of course! Knowing them, they are capable of achieving anything they want.