[kj] Manchester

[Paul Rangecroft]

Back from Manchester. Had to leave before the encore because there was
no way I was getting a replacement bus at half past midnight.

Not a white-heat gig for me but still some memorable moments. 'Sun
Goes Down' worth the price of the ticket alone. Flawless. 'Tension' -
Youth really nailed the funky bass. I'm now officially a convert to
the 'Rapture'. 'Pole Shift' the most impressive of the new material -
beautiful haunting keyboards.

'Chop-chop' was a bit of a let-down. It felt incongruous coming after
'Pole Shift', like there were still some minor chords floating around
interfering with it! I didn't hear any atonal chimes either, nor Jaz's
exasperated gasps and grunts towards the end. But it was still great
that they played it.

'European Superstate' - Agree with Ade, not an opener. Decent song but
better in the middle of the set.

They can stick 'Depthcharge' and 'Asteroid' in room 101 as far as I'm concerned.

Jaz did seem a bit subdued. Real shame about this virus. Good of them
not to cancel the tour at least. That may have been a bridge too far
for some people but you can't control when sickness strikes.

I now fully understand why they don't leap about on stage. I managed
to bop along to half of two songs. I'd like to request Killing Joke
walking sticks at the merchandise stand for the next tour.

The sound quality was good and the venue was well occupied. The last
time I saw them in Manchester was at the smaller Academy 2 which is a
more intimate atmosphere that suits them better, but then again it did
sell out so it made sense to switch. Also, the last time I saw them at
the larger Academy was the last time I saw Raven, so a bittersweet
experience from that point of view.

Not overly impressed with the merch. Stephen Robinson is right - the
skull is a terrible cliche. Nice to see the Etremities t-shirt on sale
even if it didn't make much sense. Would have preferred the
alternative white one over the eyes one, however.

The setlist has improved somewhat but could still be better. I hope
they continue to refine it.

The new album is going to be fantastic, no doubt at all about that now.

Rangecroft out.