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‘We have a high appetite for risk’: inside King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s historic EU tour

Residencies in storied venues from a panopticon prison to an ancient amphitheatre gave an appropriate backdrop to the Australian band’s existential new record

We’re flanked by columns bearing ancient Greek inscriptions from back when this place was called Philippopolis; the precipitous drop behind us reveals the east side of Europe’s longest continually inhabited city, the glowing cross of the Cathedral of St Louis and the shadow of the hills in the distance. Where much pop fandom constitutes little more than idol worship, the Swarm are a generative and self-sustaining community: on their fansite, they’ve put together a detailed guide to each city on the EU tour, including information about attitudes to LGBTQ+ people and drugs (both very censorious in Bulgaria). Before the show, an American guy called Michael is going around the venue asking people what their first ever gig was, though it’s hard to imagine anyone having a better story than his: after his dad picked up some German hitchhikers who stayed for a month, to his mother’s chagrin, their parting apology was to take him to see Fleetwood Mac on the Rumours tour.

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