Killing Joke: Original Lineup- Tour and Album

[Tragicallyhip]

Hi guys

I know most of the UHMers are US based, but I also know there are Killing Joke fans over there too, and most of them have missed out on seeing them for many years. So here's the latest:

Following Paul Raven's death, Killing Joke have reformed the original lineup- Jaz, Geordie, Youth and yes, Big Paul Ferguson is back in the fold, having left the band back in 1988. This is the first time this lineup (who recorded three albums- Killing Joke 1980, What's THIS For...! and Revelations) have been together in 25 years, so it's a big event and a great tribute to the much-missed Paul Raven (variously a member of Prong, Godflesh, Ministry, Pigface, Murder Inc, Society 1 etc etc). They're reuniting for an album and a tour:

09-13 Tokyo, Japan - Club Quattro
09-14 Tokyo, Japan - Club Quattro
09-16 Madrid, Spain - Heineken
09-17 Barcelona, Spain - Apollo
09-19 Milan, Italy - Rolling Stone
09-20 Milan, Italy - Rolling Stone
09-22 Geneva, Switzerland - TBA
09-24 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Hall
09-25 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Hall
09-26 Paris, France - Trabendo
09-27 Paris, France - Trabendo
09-29 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club
09-30 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club
10-02 London, England - The Forum
10-03 London, England - The Forum
10-09 Los Angeles, CA - TBA
10-11 New York, NY - TBA

I know that's only 2 US dates- American fans often get short-changed on this front- but hopefully they'll announce more. In Europe they're doing two-night bookings, playing the entirety of the first and second albums on the first night, and the whole (fantastic) Pandemonium album on the second.

If you're not a Joke fan this probably mean too much to you, but frankly the possibility of seeing an excellent live band with a first-class drummer like Big Paul Ferguson is a once-on-a-lifetime shot. Maybe I'll see some European UHMers down the front!

[Grendel]

An incarnation of KJ toured here in the states not too long ago. Believe it was about the time of the second self-titled album back in '03. Had to miss the Detroit date, so hopefully they'll expand the US leg to include more than LA and NYC.

[Tragicallyhip]

I saw them on that tour, with Ted Parsons (Prong/Godflesh/Swans) on drums. Excellent show, very loud and very energetic. Great stuff.

They really should add more dates in the US. It's great doing Japan, but there are fans outside Europe! The UK is always well served when they tour, and western Europe is covered well too, but they could certainly drum up more than two audiences in the US. Dates in NYC and LA also make it impossible for anyone to attend both shows, and with Killing Joke you never know how long it's going to be before they come back.

Mind you, I'd rather wait a bit longer than see lunatic ideas like playing UK arenas as support for bloody Motley Crue. Who the hell is going to want to see both bands?

[Grendel]

Mind you, I'd rather wait a bit longer than see lunatic ideas like playing UK arenas as support for bloody Motley Crue. Who the hell is going to want to see both bands?What a disaster of a bill.

Besides, I thought Crue was sidelined while Nikki Sixx was out doing that Sixx: A.M. side-project of his...

[Tragicallyhip]

What a disaster of a bill.

Besides, I thought Crue was sidelined while Nikki Sixx was out doing that Sixx: A.M. side-project of his...

That was a couple of years ago now. Sixx and Raven were good friends, so KJ agreed to do six arena support slots as a favour. One of my friends actually went (I wasn't willing to pay to see 40 minutes of Killing Joke) and said there was about six Joke fans huddled at the back of 10,000 middle-aged Crue fans. Insanity.

[Luris Blear]

That sounds like the time I saw the Ramones open for White Zombie -- their farewell tour no less. My brother and I felt like the only Ramones fans in the arena.

I have and have thoroughly enjoyed Pandemonium. I also have the self-titled Murder, Inc. disk which seemed to spawn from the same crowd (Killing Joke / Raven). That one was not as enjoyable.

If it's worth anything, the only concert I've seen since moving to Austin was Attrition. They're from over on your side, Tragic.