Stu Mackenzie

Stuart Douglas Mackenzie (born 26 October 1990) is an Australian musician best known as the lead vocalist of psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.

Stuart Douglas Mackenzie was born on 26 October 1990, grew up in Anglesea, and went to school in Geelong.

His father played guitar to him and his brother growing up, which influenced young Mackenzie.

Due to his father being a left-handed guitar player, Mackenzie originally learned to play guitar upside down.

His early influences were AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Paul Kelly.

He began playing guitar and other instruments at age 15.

He played garage rock and rock and roll later.

Mackenzie was part of the local music scene in Geelong and performed at various open mics.

Mackenzie would join and form several bands within the local Melbourne music scene, some of which included future King Gizzard members such as Michael Cavanagh, Lucas Skinner (now Harwood) and Cook Craig.

Mackenzie has been the chief songwriter, vocalist and co-lead guitarist of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard since their formation in 2010.

Additionally, Mackenzie occasionally plays bass, keyboards, sitar and flute, and was originally a drummer.

The band was formed not long after the group's members left school, and was intended to be a jam band with a focus on improvisation.

Mackenzie also built a microtonal guitar based on the Turkish bağlama, with other band members later modifying their instruments to play microtonal music.

Mackenzie is married.

Trademarked by his energetic live presence, he has been nominated for multiple awards and in particular won Live Guitarist of the Year at the National Live Music Awards of 2020.

When performing, Mackenzie often sticks his tongue out, stands with a back-and-forth rocking motion, and displays feats of guitar showmanship, such as playing behind his head.

In addition, his frequent shouts of "woo!"

and "eeeyup!"

both live and on recording have become a staple of the band's sound.

His daughter Araminta (Minty) was born in November 2020.

They live in Melbourne.

Mackenzie announced in 2022 that he suffers from Crohn's disease, and that the remainder of King Gizzard's European summer tour would be cancelled due to him seeking treatment amidst a "personal health crisis".

Mackenzie confirmed in a Reddit AMA that he is vegan, and it inspired some of the songs on the album Fishing for Fishies.