They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the members of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard were hopefully quite honored last week when Billy Strings played a snippet of their song “Rattlesnake” right in front of them in their hometown. The tease occurred on the opening night of Strings’ inaugural Australian/New Zealand tour in Melbourne on July 15th.

Tuesday’s international mini-tour opener marked the latest escalation of the closely followed and much-publicised musical bromance between Billy Strings and the members of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Ahead of the show, King Gizzard went live on the band’s official Instagram page with video of Strings playing Stu Mackenzie‘s microtonal Martin acoustic guitar. Then on Tuesday night, several members of the band and crew, including guitarists Stu and Joey Walker, went live on Instagram from the front row, cracking up as Strings, Billy Failing, Jarrod Walker, Royal Masat, and Alex Hargreaves went on a deep jam of Jimi Hendrix‘s “Love or Confusion”.

Billy Strings — “Love Or Confusion” (Jimi Hendrix) — 7/15/25 — Partial

[Video: Bootleg Gila]

Shortly before the Hendrix cover, Strings tipped his trucker cap to the visiting local ambassadors in the “Turmoil & Tinfoil” which served as the second song of the second set. This 14-minute version gave Australian audiences (and the sizable number of Americans who flew to the other side of the world to see Billy in a 7,500-capacity arena) the full experience that has made Strings into a growing worldwide phenomenon. Entrenched in the jam’s psychedelic entanglements, Strings snuck a quick, distorted tease of the central riff to KGLW’s popular “Rattlesnake” at about 9:50 into the “Turmoil & Tinfoil” jam (if you’re listening on nugs).

Strings and King Gizzard first officially crossed paths in 2023 at—of all places—a Devo concert in Sweden. The following year, the bluegrass guitarist was asked in a Reddit AMA which artists he would like to work with, to which he simply replied, “I wanna jam with GIZZ.” It turns out Strings may have gotten his wish on this three-show Australian tour, as he revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald that “some potential studio time has been set aside should their plans align.”

Check out some videos from Billy Strings in Melbourne by TroublesomeOwl. The “Rattlesnake” tease starts at 9:40 in “Turmoil & Tinfoil” video. Strings finished his Australian tour on Saturday, and all three shows are available to watch on-demand for nugs All Access subscribers. Video of his last remaining show in New Zealand will premiere on Wednesday, July 23rd at 8 p.m. ET. Not a nugs All Access subscriber yet? Get started here for unlimited access to nugs’ extensive live music archives, regularly added audio and video recordings from ongoing tours, and subscriber-exclusive livestreams from a long list of tours and festivals.

Billy Strings will return stateside to open for Dead & Company in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on August 1st before kicking off a North American summer tour. Find tickets and tour dates here.

Billy Strings — “Turmoil & Tinfoil” — 7/15/25

Billy Strings — “Hide & Seek” — 7/15/25

Billy Strings — “Richard Petty” — 7/15/25

Billy Strings — “Home” > “Fearless” (Pink Floyd) — 7/15/25

Billy Strings — “Dust In A Baggie” > “Love Or Confusion” (Jimi Hendrix) — 7/15/25

Billy Strings — “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town” (Traditional) — 7/15/25

Billy Strings — “Psycho” (Leon Payne) > “Pyramid Country” > “Ole Slew Foot” (Johnny Horton) — 7/15/25

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Setlist: Billy Strings | Margaret Court Arena | Melbourne, AUS | 7/15/25

Set One: Slow Train (Leroy Drumm, Cal Freeman), Hide and Seek, Hellbender, The Fire On My Tongue > Drifter’s Escape (Bob Dylan), St. James Hospital (Traditional), Escanaba, Richard Petty [1], Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight (The Stanley Brothers and The Clinch Mountain Boys) [2], Uncle Pen (Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys) [2], Home > Fearless (Pink Floyd)
Set Two: I’m One Of Those, Turmoil & Tinfoil [3], Love and Regret, John Deere Tractor (Lawrence Hammond), Dusty Miller (Traditional), Dust In A Baggie > Love Or Confusion (Jimi Hendrix), My Alice, The Train That Carried My Girl From Town (Traditional) > Black Mountain Rag (Leslie Keith), Gild the Lily, Psycho (Leon Payne) > Pyramid Country > Ole Slew Foot (Johnny Horton)
Encore: Harbor of Love, Big Spike Hammer

[1] Full band (minus Alex) around single mic
[2] Full band around single mic
[3] “Rattlesnake” (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) tease

Train songs: 2