The Living Return
When Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven went to the Great Gig in the Sky on October 20, 2007, a number of Joke fans–myself included–wondered what would be next for the band. Raven’s bass sound anchored the band through some of its best material, including the recent Killing Joke (2003) and Hosannas From The Basements of Hell (2006); his were clearly some big shoes to fill.
The solution, it seems, was to go back to the beginning. The original lineup–Jaz Coleman, Geordie Walker, Martin “Youth” Glover, and “Big Paul” Ferguson–are back together for the first time since 1982.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge in the intervening 26 years. Youth left the band in 1982, returning ten years later, only to leave yet again on the eve of touring behind Democracy. He would go on to collaborate with, or produce, artists as diverse as the Orb and Paul McCartney. Ferguson, after being unceremoniously sacked during the sessions for Outside the Gate, went on to drum behind Murder Inc., Crush (not the godawful dancepop duo), and Pigface, in tandem with working as an art restorer; while a number of others have occupied the drum throne for the band–including Martin Atkins and Dave Grohl–none of them quite matched Big Paul’s furious, tribal-techno sound. Coleman has worked as producer, composer, and arranger, while Walker has contributed both to Murder Inc. and The Damage Manual.
A string of live dates, and a new studio CD, are reportedly in the works. What it’ll sound like is anyone’s guess; Killing Joke have never done the same thing twice. Whatever else it’ll be, it’s sure to be interesting. The UK dates will be a series of two-night stands, the first of which will feature the band’s self-titled debut, and its followup What’s THIS for…? in their entirety, while the second will consist of Pandemonium and the band’s Island Records singles (”Turn To Red,” “Nervous System,” et al.). Presumably, both nights will also feature tracks from the upcoming new album. Only two dates are tentatively penciled in for the States, one in New York, and the other in LA (dates and venues have yet to be confirmed for the American leg of the tour). One can only hope that the latter will also feature some cuts from Democracy; it’s an election year Stateside, after all, so the Joke’s message is even more timely than usual.
Watch this space: www.killingjoke.com
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Tags: Industrial, Killing Joke, Post-Punk, Reunions