Lizard
Lizard is a Polish band inspired by progressive rock, jazz-rock, and art rock of the 70s. The band describes their activity as “anti-mainstream” action.
The band was formed in 1990 in Bielsko-Biała on the initiative of the vocalist Damian Bydliński and the guitarist Mirosław Worek. The ensemble was complemented by the keyboardist Andrzej Jancza, the bass guitarist Janusz Tanistra and the drummer Mariusz Szulakowski. Right from the start, their music was inspired by such bands as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, UK and King Crimson (the band’s name directly refers to King Crimson’s third album). 1996 brought a breakthrough in their career - the band signed a contract with Ars Mundi Publishing House and a debut album under the title “In the Gallery of Time” was released.
Lizard made appearances at many prestigious events and concerts in Lyon (1992) and Katowice (1993), during Intermedia Promotion in Wrocław a year later, and in Bielsko-Biała (1995 and 1997), as well as at the first edition of the Progressive Rock Festival in Warsaw (1996) - to name but a few. In 1997, the band was invited to the popular music program “100% Live” broadcast live by TV Katowice. However, in the band’s opinion, their biggest success came when they were asked to support the legendary group Emerson, Lake & Palmer in June 1997. In October of that year, Lizard supported Porcupine Tree at the Kraków Philharmonic, and a year later the band embarked on a tour in the Netherlands.
At the beginning of 2004, the second studio album “Psychopuls” came into being. While recording this album, a change in the band’s line-up took place: Andrzej Jancza was replaced by Krzysztof Maciejowski, who introduced the band to a new sound - the violin.
Between March and April 2005, their third studio production, “Tales From the Artichoke Wood” saw the light of day. On March 28, 2006, the band finished producing their fourth studio album “Spam”.
In June 2012, Daniel Kurtyka joined the band, complementing it with a second guitar. At the end of 2012, Krzysztof Maciejowski left the band after 9 years of collaboration. In December of that year, he was replaced by the pianist Paweł Fabrowicz.
On June 4, 2013, the band released their fifth studio album “Master & M”. In May 2015, the album “Destruction and Little Piece of Cheese” was released, a record of a concert made in Łódź on November 28, 2014. In March 2016, the band released another studio album titled “A little yellow, a little more white”.
On December 2, 2016, Lizard appeared as a special guest during the Uriah Heep concert in Katowice. In January 2017, the band accompanied the legend of British music - Wishbone Ash during the Polish part of the tour “The Tough And Tender Tour 2017”.
In October 2017, Lizard made a joint tour with the band Lucifer’s Friend during which they presented the entire premiere material from their album “Half-Live”. On December 2, 2017, the band performed as a support before the Krakow concert of Jethro Tull.
Current members:
- Damian Bydliński - vocals, guitar, guitar synthesizer
- Janusz Tanistra - bass guitar
- Daniel Kurtyka - guitar
- Paweł Fabrowicz- keyboards
- Mariusz Szulakowski - drums & percussion
