It’s not often a band can profess to have been in existence for 40 years but Killing Joke have made it thus far and after many trials and tribulations, they are well into their 40th Anniversary World Tour. Tonight’s venue is the O2 Academy in Leeds and there is a strong “gathering” of faithful fans. Killing Joke, like many bands of the era, has a strong following that turns out in droves, whether it is to attend tours or one-off “gatherings”. A gathering is a special gig or event in between tours that Killing Joke often spring upon the faithful. The current tour has a feeling of a special gig every night of the tour. The “Laugh At Your Peril” 40th Anniversary Tour started back in September 1st in Seattle, USA and after many dates in South America and Europe, the tour finally hits the UK. It’s the second date in the UK after they played Nottingham, Rock City last night.
The much-anticipated re-releases on CD and Vinyl, which are currently available as a “Pledge”, will be bolstered by special recordings from this tour. One of these was two weeks ago in Berlin and one is to follow soon in London. Tonight though, we will hear the band live as they bring their special blend of post-punk with a flavour of industrial and tribal beats.
The Killing Joke line-up has seen many changes through the years, mostly on drums, but after the untimely death of Paul Raven (Bass), the band line up has remained the same for ten years. Jaz Coleman (Vocals), Paul Ferguson (Drums), Geordie Walker (Guitar) and Youth (Bass) take the stage to a near capacity crowd.
Much to the delight of the long-serving fans, the opening track “Unspeakable” starts the well-established set. There have been a few minor tweaks as the dates progressed, but it’s a popular choice. With Jaz Coleman at his theatrical best, he moves like an oversized animated puppet between songs, striking menacing poses throughout. Tour regular “European Super State” follows before Jaz declares the venue an “Autonomous Zone”. The band race through the song at a brisk pace, they are a well oiled machine at this point in the tour and “Big Paul” Ferguson’s drums drive the song with metronomical precision.
As Jaz screams “Forty fucking years” The band blast into the recognisable “Eighties”. Geordie is at his empirical best as he dominates the mix with his brutal and unmistakeable guitar. The band go on to play a selection of their greatest hits, mixed with Jaz’s social and political commentaries. For the most part, Geordie was planted at his usual stage right, but Youth was in a playful mood as he moved around the stage in his fashionable attire. There are rare performances of “Loose Canon” and “Labyrinth” as the band finish the main set with the ever present “Pssyche”.
After a brief respite, the crowd raise a massive cheer as the band return and deliver an extended encore, which start with “SO36” and “Turn to Red”. “Love Like Blood” is dedicated to Paul Raven and the band deliver a poignantly faithful version of the chart hit from the 80’s. The band end with an incredibly powerful trio of songs as “Death and Resurrection Show” and “Wardance” precede the seminal “Pandemonium” as the final song before the curfew of 10pm. By far the longest set of the tour so far, Killing Joke feel the connection from the appreciative audience and reciprocate with a very special performance.
The “Laugh At Your Peril” Tour continues throughout November and the remaining dates are;