Live Review: Killing Joke – O2, Academy Brixton, 04/11/2016

KILLING JOKE (+ Death Valley High, The Membranes)
O2 Academy, Brixton
04/11/2016

The great gathering descends upon Brixton's legendary music venue the Academy in droves for Killing Joke. A band who have remained relevant and visceral since their inception in 1978. Despite line-up and genre shifts over the course of their history they have remained a credible force in the alternative rock scene both in the UK and abroad. Even so the band have enjoyed a true renaissance since 2008 when the original line-up got back together and produced three explosive albums in the forms of 'Absolute Dissent' (2010), 'MMXII' (2012), and 'Pylon' (2015). It is no surprise that their fanbase is as passionate and as ravenous as it has ever been these days.

Tonight's performance is opened by the somewhat recently reformed (well since 2010) act The Membranes. Fronted by prolific punk musician and journalist John Robb, the band released their first album in 26 years last year, and tonight are hear to gives us “30 minutes of songs about the universe”. And boy do they. With raucous punk energy bristling through each track and yet a flair for moments of psychedelic, dare I say prog, flourishes, the band rip through a frenetic and entrancing set. It is a brilliant performance that quickly whips up an energetic response from the crowd, but is over way too soon. Another 30 minutes of songs about the universe would have been most welcome.

Instead of more of The Membranes we instead get the dubious pleasure of Death Valley High. High on style, low on substance. The band mix pseudo-industrial rock with nu-metal posturing. Resembling a 'Holy Wood' era Marilyn Manson tribute act but sounding like Dope sans the passion and commitment, the band's set struggles to approach the energy of The Membranes. With youth on their side but the will evidently not, their performance feels like it was completely called in. Their biggest shot of adrenaline is saved for their eponymous final song, which is still disappointing, especially seeing as they were the youngest band on the bill by a good twenty-odd years. Contrived and uninspired, they should have had the opening slot and The Membranes should have been on second.

Between DVH and the headliners taking to the stage we're treated to a dub reggae set befitting the venue's location. It may have gone above the heads of a few of the patrons, but it was a nice change from a pre-recorded mixtape.

But finally it is time for the main event. The band kick things off with 'The Hum' and instantly the room is electric. Jaz Coleman stalks the stage like an apocalyptic preacher invoking the end of days. The band then quickly rip through a set that sees them shockingly dispense with their most mainstream hits 'Love Like Blood' and 'Eighties' quickly, before unleashing a brilliantly heavy set made up of recent and classic cuts. Tracks such as 'New Cold War', 'Requiem', 'Turn To Red', 'European Superstate', 'I Am The Virus', 'Dawn OF The Hive', and 'Pssyche' are met with lyrics chanted back by the frenzied crowd. The addition of two female fire dancers/eaters makes for a more interesting stage show than usual, and is nicely self-referencing if not overtly acknowledging their 1983 album.

The encore is a definite pleaser for any long-time fan with 'The Death And Resurrection Show', 'Wardance', and 'Pandemonium' rounding off a heavy and powerful show of force from the nearly 40-year veterans. If you have ever questioned the relevance or the prowess of Killing Joke, tonight once again reaffirmed their status as a band of the 21^st century with their finger on the pulse.  

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Review: Killing Joke – 'Pylon'

KILLING JOKE
'Pylon'
SPINEFARM RECORDS

Picking up from the band's previous two outing ('Absolute Dissent' and 'MMXII') Killing Joke's latest studio album 'Pylon' is another uncompromising blend of industrial electronics, post-punk venom and metal riffs that will not fail to satisfy long-time fans of the band. In the 35 years since the band's eponymous début, music trends have come and gone, politics has come round full circle, technology is choking humanity and a dystopian malaise has set in. It's no wonder then that the anarchic and apocalyptic fire of Killing Joke is just as relevant and needed as it has ever been.

The new album (number fifteen and counting!) recalls not only the band's most recent works 'Absolute Dissent', 'MMXII' and 'Hosannas From The Basement Of Hell' etc, but it also looks back to the likes of classics such as 'Pandemonium' and 'Democracy' for its musical and lyrical inspiration.

Songs such as the opening trio of 'Autonomous Zone', 'Dawn Of The Hive' and 'New Cold War' along with 'War On Freedom' and 'I Am The Virus' are incendiary blends of heavy industrial rock that see some of the best riffs, melodies and vocal performances in the band's history. 'Euphoria' and 'Big Buzz' provide a couple of slightly lighter moments within the track list and 'Into The Unknown' rounds things off with some great soaring melodies while keeping it's heaviness intact.

The production is brilliant keeping up the quality of the previous two releases (unsurprising with legendary production talents of Martin "Youth" Glover in the fold) and keeps that fine blend of heavy and melodic running throughout that makes this both a gritty yet completely accessible album to listen to.

'Pylon' shows that after 35 years Killing Joke still have a lot to say and they know how to grab our attention. The band sound stronger and slicker than ever – the song writing is punch, the musicianship is solid throughout, and Jaz Coleman's vocals are sounding powerful and full of conviction. This should be an easy album for both long-time and new fans to get into as it showcases both the band's melodic and heavy sides almost equally within each song. 'Pylon' continues the band's latest and perhaps greatest run of album and promises much more to come.  

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Review: Killing Joke – 'In Dub'

KILLING JOKE 

'In Dub' 

SELF-RELEASED 

The long-awaited three-disc dub remix project spearheaded by bassist / producer Martin “Youth” Glover is finally here. Killing Joke are no strangers to experimenting with a huge variety of styles and genres, but this is the first time they have put out an album with a purely dub manifesto. The band collect tracks from across their back catalogue and give them the drum and bass heavy mixdown in favour of a purer “riddim” and turn up the echo, delay and reverb across the board.

If you don't like dub (and why the hell wouldn't you?!), then this is going to be one to avoid, but with tracks such as 'Money Is Not Our God', 'Love Like Blood', 'Eighties', 'Pandemonium', 'European Superstate' 'Requiem', and 'Democracy' getting major makeovers, 'In Dub' has a lot of appeal even outside the realms of Killing Joke's immediate fanbase.

The mixes aren't radically different from each other across the board. The classic dub format takes precedence above all things particularly on the first disc. However the continuity of atmosphere makes this a radically different prospect for the band. Killing Joke, even in their new wave days were always somewhat abrasive and against the grain, if not sonically then visually, so three discs of relatively groove-heavy but laid back listening that will work just as well in a club as in a garden on a sunny afternoon. The formula works its best though when tracks such as 'Money Is Not Our God (Babylon Dub)' and 'A Sixth Sun (Prophecy Fulfilled Dub)' get overlaid with new vocals which gives then a more original and less remixed emphasis.

The second and third discs are opened up more and feature collaborations with the likes of Cult Of Youth, Urban Primitive, The Orb, and Nine Inch Nails contributing different takes on the dub genre, with some opting to emphasise the industrial elements, some bring more of the rock flavour out and others delve into more ambient waters. But they all work exceedingly well.

Killing Joke have thrown a curve-ball, but it is an incredibly well executed one that is full of passion. It will be interesting to see how the tracks work in a live DJ set – there's certainly enough variety to make for an interesting hour or two. Fans of the band will eat this up, but it shouldn't be a fan-only release. This is a fresh and engaging take on the modern remix album that should ensure the band a lot of club play and expose them beyond their usual crowd.

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