Killing Joke

[Ian Abrahams]

Thanks for the info Nick - *great* review!

Ian

----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Medford" <nickmedford at HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2005 5:38 PM
Subject: Re: Killing Joke


> On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 16:00:14 -0000, Ian Abrahams
> <ian at ABRAHAMSI.FREESERVE.CO.UK> wrote:
>
> >Line-up and set-list for that one, Nick?
>
> Line-up: Jaz, Geordie, Raven, keyboard player whose name escapes me (think
> it was the same guy who played on the 2003 tour), plus a new drummer- now
> they haven't really had a regular drummer for many years now, various
> luminaries like Martin Atkins, Ted Parsons, and Dave Grohl have done the
> honours, but this guy tops them all. I didn't catch his name but a look
> round the KJ site suggests it may be Ben Calvert (no relation I assume).
> What I did hear was Jaz introducing him as "the baby" and saying he's only
> 22. An absolutely amazing drummer, huge pounding tribal beats played with
> great skill and power, *exactly* right for KJ.
>
> The set was something like this, I may have missed one out somwhere, and
the
> order may be off, but this is more or less right, note the seven, yes
seven,
> encores:
>
> Communion
> Wardance
> Song And Dance
> Primitive
> Total Invasion
> Frenzy
> We Have Joy
> Empire Song
> Asteroid
> Bloodsport
> Requiem
> Blood On Your Hands
> The Wait
> Whiteout
> Pssyche
>
> ------------------
> Darkness Before Dawn
> Pandys Are Coming
> Change
> Sun Goes Down
> Are You Receiving?
> Love Like Blood
> Pandemonium
>
> What can I say, it was amazing. I've never heard Jaz sound like this, in
> fact live I've usually found his vocals a bit disappointing compared to
the
> albums, but last night he had every angle from the melodic to the
ferocious
> completely covered. Right up in the mix too, lyrics audible throughout.
>
> The played for a long time, 2hrs 15mins by my reckoning. Somehow they hit
a
> massive peak of intensity almost immediately and then just sustained it
for
> the duration. Huge churning guitar noise over a relentless pounding
> backline, savage stuff I tell you. Jaz out the front twitching and shaking
> like a shaman. "Intense" doesn't even come close.
>
> I read on one of the KJ sites that they or their manager have tightened up
a
> lot on the backstage partying with fans before and after the gigs,
> apparently because the 2003 tour featured too many half-wasted
performances.
> Thinking back to the Astoria gig in '03, it was good but certainly the
band
> didn't have anything like this level of focus and intensity. In fact I'm
not
> sure I've *ever* seen a band play at this level of intensity. Even though
> I've liked KJ for many years, I never quite expected anything like last
night.
>
> Nick
>