Music

Hundreds of Blue Mountains locals are banding together to campaign for well known Australian band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to perform in Katoomba.

Locals are releasing videos, collecting signatures and getting the support of even the local politicians, particular ly the Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill, all calling for the band to play in our area.

"We know that Katoomba is the biggest little town in Australia, with a thriving music and arts scene, but Australia's bands keep passing us by," says Willem Hendriksen, the founder of the campaign and host of Retro Rehash on Radio Blue Mountains.

"There is a thriving local music industry here in Katoomba, with a great band scene supported by our community radio station, Radio Blue Mountains. But we keep missing out on bigger gigs, with well known bands rehearsing, filming video clips and visiting the area, but not playing shows."

"We've kicked off a campaign to get King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard to Katoomba, with the whole community getting involved," says Hendriksen. "We love the band and their music fits very well with our local vibe and many Blue Mountains bands have joined the campaign."

"We've built a huge range of support for getting the band here, with over a thousand names added to a petition that we are ready to send to King Gizzard so they can see how many fans they have in this area. We've also collected videos from all parts of Katoomba, calling on King Gizzard to come and play."

"#Lostmtns, the Mayor, our State and Federal MPs, the arts community, a huge range of local musicians such as Julia Jacklin, from young to old, everyone at Radio Blue Mountains and even Glenn A Baker is behind this campaign," says Hendriksen.

"I am 100% behind this campaign, as King Gizzard belongs in Katoomba and is one of my favourite bands. The Blue Mountains local music scene is thriving and vibrant, and we want Gizzard Wizard to join us!" says Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill.

"Local bands, Feast of Fools and Jackal or Tiger have even done some videos, with 7/8 timing, in homage to King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard's trademark musical rhythms," says Hendriksen.

"We want to make Katoomba a must stop destination for all major bands in Australia and overseas, starting with King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. The place to come for an amazing local scene, innovative tunes, and spectacular natural wilderness - all only 90 minutes from Sydney."

See all the great videos and keep up with the campaign at:
https://www.facebook.com/kgizz4katoomba

Sign the petition to get King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to play in Katoomba:
https://www.change.org/p/paul-sloan-small-town-wants-big-band-aka-king-gizzard-for-katoomba-aka-kgizz4katoomba