[kj] just got back....

[Matthew Tibbits]

Funny that the sound was good because Geordie was having problems the whole time. He lost his bottom end for much of the set and was doing his best not to look too fucked off. But it did sound better than of late out in the hall. Think the arch/cavern shape helped. Youth's bass was nice and prominent and BPF was superb as usual.

 

Jaz is looking younger and younger. Either he's taking incredible care of himself or there's a very scary painting in an attic somewhere..  Did anyone notice that Geordie has finally packed in the peroxide and returned to his pre-79 natural shade? 

Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 13:15:14 +0200
From: 65snoopy at gmail.com
To: gathering at misera.net
Subject: Re: [kj] just got back....

Thanks for that. Now I'm even more gutted I couldn't make it. I have long
had an issue with the sound quality at KJ shows - it seems to have gotten
worse as the years have gone by - so to miss one where they manage to
get it right is particularly annoying. (But also good to know that they have
managed it.)

cheers
N



2009/5/8 Darren A. Peace <dpeace at bigfoot.com>





OK. Here are my recollections.

 

I made it to London and the Tattershal Castle by around 4. Couldn’t see any Jokers on the boat unless they were disguised as Sloanes (I thought they’d died out) or wankers, so I chatted to some odd-looking people who were apparently having a break from filming a crime drama nearby. They seemed unimpressed by my offer to be a corpse for them so long as it didn’t take more than 20 minutes.

 

Then I saw Mr Jonn Chapman, playing under a table with his stash of contraband vodka. He was very sensible; the bar prices were extraordinary. Lots of Killing Joke t-shirts turned up (although I see from the list that several people were there but didn’t find us; that was a shame. Perhaps we need a sign to identify ourselves on such occasions, and I suggest flashing deely boppers. Oh no – that would make people think we were a hen night. Any suggestions?) and we were then treated o the appearance of Mr Stephen Lawrence, who had bravely elected to wear full Jaz facepaint. In the event, Jaz wasn’t wearing the full mask, so particular plaudits to Mr Lawrence.

 

I have long chosen to go to many gigs by myself, and not to meet up with lots of people there. Particularly with a band like Killing Joke, I find I zone out and am unable to appear anything other than rude to other people, and this has worked well over the years. However, having met Mr Chapman, Mr Moss, Mr Lawrence and others at the Malicious Damage bash, I realised that it was probably about time I saw what these people who I’ve known on the list for years are actually like, and it was reassuring that everyone was great company.

 

We then headed to the venue (involving my doing something I never anticipated I would find myself doing, asking someone how I could get to the Heaven nightclub); the journey was short, despite an unfortunate incident with a cold samosa, and we went inside. Not before the bouncers had picked on me as the likely dealer / terrorist and treated me to a full cavity search, however; I had a half-eaten finger roll in my trouser pocket, and as Mr Bouncer found it during his enthusiastic patting I was treated to pursed lips and raised eyebrows.

 

Merchandise stall was heaving with PlasticHead stuff; nothing new apart from the Forum live CD box, which I’m not going to buy at that price as I’ve got the DiscLive ones. Maybe when I see it cheap somewhere.

 

Bob noted that Faith Healer had started up almost as soon as we got inside ( iad, however, noted my favourite poster f the night : “Gay Wii Party”), so we went as far forward as we could; the place was packed. Then it started.

 

I have been getting increasingly disappointed with the Requiem / Wait / Wardance / Pssyche axis of KJ setlists; they have so many fantastic songs they could play that it seems a shame to squander them. However, the sound was FANTASTIC – we were by speakers towards the back (more used to pumping out Erasure, as it were) and they were excellent. So the most familiar parts of the setlist were as exciting and vital as I have heard them in years.

 

This is for two reasons, in my view. I have liked many of KJ’s history of exploding drummers (Benny being a particular favourite of mine), but BPF is unparalleled. Even the Pandy tracks I wasn’t convinced by at the Forum were transformed. And Youth.

 

I see KJ as two separate entities. The Raven KJ were serious and no-nonsense, almost menacing. Youth KJ has humour, playfulness and more of a sense of fun. And to echo other sentiments here, the bass was magnificent. Youth is looser and (ugh) groovier, and this adds a whole new dimension to the usual tracks. Even LLB was funkier.

 

Jaz appeared to be wearing either  Beatles wig or a Cossack hat, and has a very impressive Colgate smile (perhaps dentures?). Geordie was Thunderbird-hatted, and playing with his usual oxymoronic louche urgency. I’ve not hear this band so tight and focussed for years. The performance was significantly better than the Forum dates, in my view, and I’m now vacillating even harder about Blackpool.

 

There was no opportunity to pester the band afterwards, as we were all marched out so the venue could be prepared for the World Record fisting attempt scheduled for eleven. We did, therefore, have time to go for a drink afterwards, which was a great way to round things off. I was particularly pleased to meet The Stranger (from this list) and Miss Frenzy (from the Killing Joke forums), as they were the people who flew from New York for the gig, and I admire that degree of focus and dedication!

 

It was a great pleasure to meet everyone, including Milinda, Jonn again, Bob Barathy, Ade, Stephen again, Laughing Chris, Antoni, Jane, Adam, Jessica, Woody, and everyone else. There were some people I would have liked to meet who couldn’t make it, but perhaps another time.

 

Interestingly, I met on my train back to Reading (my car had not been broken into, for those with long memories) a fellow sporting a Devo hoodie. Turned out he’d just been to the gig at the Forum, which I could have gone to had it not been for KJ. Turns out the Devo set was short (just the first album – nothing new at all) and rather lack-lustre. So the only nagging doubt in my head about the evening was also cleared up.

 

I’m really pleased to have gone, and Rob? You missed a good one, mate.

 

Blackpool. Hmm.

 

Darren

Hungerford, UK

 

 

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