Killing Joke’s LA Show Celebrates 35 Years Of Influential Rock

By Andrew Bansal

May 5th 2013, Fonda Theatre, Hollywood CA: British post-punk/industrial rock Killing Joke were celebrating their 35th anniversary and the release of the ‘Singles Collection (1979-2012)’ compilation with this short North American tour which came to an end last night at Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre, a fitting venue for the occasion in every way possible. I am well aware of the band’s stature and their influence on subsequent generations of heavy music, heard a lot of good things about their live shows but never got a chance to see them until last night. It was going to be intriguing to see how they capture and encapsulate their 15-album career into one night of live music.

The doors opened at 8 but the show didn’t start until 9. There were a good number of people inside even at this early stage, and this is when the opening act Czar from Chicago kicked off the show. I’m familiar with the band but had no idea they were playing this show because it was not at all advertised anywhere. So it was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. Now, they’re not the kind of band you could get into instantly, unless you already know what they’re about, and specially if you’re a hardcore Killing Joke fan. Czar’s music is mostly a stark contrast from anything Killing Joke has ever done, save for a few moments where you hear industrial-type elements. They’re all about the guitar tone, heavy resonant riffs, strong interplay between the three members and an atmospheric vibe. I personally enjoyed their set and hope to see them again on a lineup that fits them a bit more. The latter part of their 40-minute set also included a cover of a song by a band called Acumen Nation. The name of the song escapes me and I honestly wouldn’t even know the band’s name had frontman Jason Novak not announced it.

After a long 40-minute wait, Killing Joke’s intro rang loud on the PA. It went on for about five minutes which was a bit too long for my liking, but nonetheless, it finally ended and the band appeared on stage amidst raucous cheers from this now-packed house. Singer Jaz Coleman drew the biggest cheer, as expected, did a Namaste salute to the crowd in return, and signaled the start of the band’s performance with the song ‘Requiem’. I found it extremely entertaining, the fact that Coleman was very Alice Cooper-like in his voice, appearance and mannerisms. It looked almost exactly as if Alice Cooper had taken up industrial rock for a night. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of industrial rock/metal simply because most of the bands representing that genre tend to go too poppy and over the top with their sound and stage shows, and the music gets overshadowed for the most part. That’s where Killing Joke are different, they’re all about keeping it heavy and simple, and that’s why I’ve always enjoyed their music. Last night just went on to prove further why they’re the masters of this craft and how much they influence a large number of well-known heavy bands.

After ‘Requiem’, heir set followed a consistent pattern with tunes like ‘Turn To Red’, ‘Wardance’, ‘The Beautiful Dead’, ‘Chop-Chop’ and ‘Sun Goes Down’. The song ‘Madness’ brought something different to the table with its ‘This Is Madness!’ chorus line which got the crowd involved as well, but I was really waiting for an explosive thrust to the set, something to quicken up the tempo and liven up the atmosphere further. I had a feeling they were building up to something of that sort, and sure enough, the next phase of the set was absolutely stellar, with fun-filled tunes such as  ‘Eighties’, ‘Money Is Not Our God’, ‘Whiteout’ and ‘Asteroid’, which again is another song with a mightily awesome chorus, sung to perfection by the aging yet powerful-as-ever Jaz Coleman. They followed up this killer portion of the set with a new song ‘Corporate Elect’ from the most recent album MMXII, the only new song for the night.

Then came the song I was eagerly waiting for, ironically called ‘The Wait’. This is a song Metallica had covered on their Garage Days covers album and still perform live occasionally. When I heard the proper version of the tune played by Killing Joke themselves last night, I could totally feel their influence on Metallica’s music, specially in the style of guitar play and vocals that James Hetfield got known for. In fact, throughout this set, it was not only Metallica but the influence on bands such as Ministry, Rammstein, Rob Zombie, Fear Factory, Primus and a ton of others was clearly evident.

They ended the main set with ‘Pandemonium’ and then came out for a short encore, which Coleman dedicated to deceased bassist Paul Raven. The crowd enjoyed every moment of this set, and rightly so. Admittedly, this Killing Joke performance was more suited to jump and dance along with instead of head-banging, but there was no denying that it was still as heavy and as loud as anything you’d ever hear, and the Fonda’s acoustics suited their style. Geordie’s guitar sound was immaculate and penetrating, and he gelled together excellently with bassist Youth, drummer Paul Ferguson and live keyboardist Reza Udin. As I said before, it was really all about the music and the quality of the musicianship rather than a circus. Killing Joke definitely know how true heavy music is done right. I’ve been full of respect and admiration of their albums, but after seeing them live for the first time last night, I can say that now I’m a fan.

Killing Joke still have what it takes to put on a fantastic live performance as was evident last night, and here’s to several more years of Killing Joke albums and tours.

Set list:
1. Requiem
2. Turn to Red
3. Wardance
4. European Super State
5. Madness
6. The Beautiful Dead
7. Chop-Chop
8. Sun Goes Down
9. Eighties
10.Money Is Not Our God
11.Whiteout
12.Asteroid
13.Corporate Elect
14.The Wait
15.Pandemonium
Encore:
16.Change
17.Pssyche
18.Love Like Blood

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