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King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard perform during the Play On Victoria concert in October last year. The band is coming to New Plymouth in January. (file photo)
The boss of Taranaki’s alternative radio station has praised New Plymouth’s council for finally thinking about the “non-boomers” with their latest concert announcement at the Bowl of Brooklands.
Australian alternative rockers King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard will be playing in the venue on January 6, with support from Taranaki band Greenbathing and emerging Aotearoa artists Half Hexagon and Carnivorous Plant Society.
Most FM chairman Mark Dickie said the lineup was a “coup for the alternative”.
“The promoters and all the team behind the events have actually started thinking about non-boomers…It’s offering something different and people, if they’re brave, will leave and have discovered something new.”
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Dickie said he would be going to the concert to see the “specialised alternative” band, and was looking forward to seeing Greenbathing play too.
“They’re up and comers, and they’ll compliment King Gizzard.”
Half Hexagon is made up of Yolanda Fagan (Na Noise, Echo Ohs), Julien Dyne (Soundway Records) and James Milne (Lawrence Arabia), while Carnivorous Plant Society is a musical experience set with live animations performed by five of New Zealand’s most accomplished musicians.
In an emailed statement, the New Plymouth District Council said with 20 albums, five produced in 2017 alone, and 10 charting in the Top 20 in Australia, King Gizzard were arguably Australia’s most innovative, important, and productive rock band.
Headlining festivals throughout the world, the band have a fervent worldwide fan base who share endless memes, mixes, videos, graphics, theories and discussions, as they explore and expand what they have termed ‘The Gizzverse’, the statement said.
Graham Denholm/Getty Images
The prolific band will headline the concert, alongside Taranaki’s Greenbathing, and New Zealand’s Half Hexagon and Carnivorous Plant Society. (file photo)
“This concert offers something a little bit different for local music lovers and showcases the versatility of the Bowl of Brooklands to host a range of different concerts and genres in what is going to be a fantastic summer after a few tough years,” council manager Teresa Turner said in the statement.
“It’s also great to have local band Greenbathing taking the same stage as one of Australia’s best and some of New Zealand’s unique and emerging talents in a stunning setting.”
King Gizzard’s stop in New Plymouth will be the last of four shows they are playing in the country including at Wharepai Domain in Tauranga on December 29 as part of the Summer Haze, Rhythm and Alps in Wanaka on December 31 and at the Matakana Country Park, Matakana, on January 4, again as part of Summer Haze.
The concert is the third announcement at the Bowl for the upcoming summer and will follow on from UB40, Jefferson Starship and Dragon, who are performing at the Bowl of Brooklands on December 30, and lead into Womad which is returning from March 17-19.
