The quintessential punk band of the 90s - the Jesus Lizard, returns to New Zealand shores for the first time in 27 years this October! Playing two exclusive shows only at Auckland’s Tuning Fork and San Fran in Wellington on the 11th and 12th respectively.
After initially calling it a day in 1999, the Jesus Lizard officially return full time to save us from the current state of musical mediocrity with their latest album, Rack. A blistering resurgence of the so-called ‘noise rock’ they helped define alongside contemporaries Big Black, Flipper, The Birthday Party, with their previous and most noted albums Head, Goat and Liar. For those of us who live in fear of the reunion album and subsequent tour, the Jesus Lizard thankfully display not only the same chaotic and dark nihilism of their earlier careers but also the maturity and seasoning of a band riding a wave of renewed and reinvigorated form.
Once slated by famed engineer Steve Albini as “the greatest band I’ve ever seen’ the Jesus Lizard not only lived up to this lofty praise in their prime but continue to do so in their advancing years. David Yow still leads the charge as the maniacally possessed frontman entering crowds with reckless abandon and a stamina that much younger vocalists would kill for. The original rhythm section of David Wm Sims and Mac McNeilly further continue to prove why they were and are the best bass & drum combo since Jones and Bonham, anchoring the ship as Captain Yow and first mate Denison navigate the wild seas of their songs. And while he may not always feature (as he rightly should) on many modern music journalists ‘best guitarists lists’, Duane Denison could perhaps be the most innovative and idiosyncratic punk rock guitarist EVER. However, each member is a sum of their parts but combined they are as Albini also once said “the purest melding of the sublime and profane.”
Whether you are a longtime disciple of the Jesus Lizard, seeing them when last here in ‘98, or perhaps your fandom is more recent and have only seen videos of their legendary live performances, you will know that these shows are not to be missed.
