You just knew that this would be a thunderously loud gig having watched the very promising young hopefuls Asylums in support. My friend then informed me that apparently there was a meeting coming up with the council and Concorde 2 over its future, revolving around the problems of the wonderful Victorian Madeira Drive Arches, a creaking structure that has already bedevilled parts of the walkway and businesses that sit under the coastal road… Some, such as JAG gallery, have been forced to move and the walkway continues to be off-bounds for the foreseeable future. My colleague then quipped that Killing Joke may well be the final straw…
And so, with a wary eye on the ceiling, the post-punk giants of the underground took to the stage, a surprising appearance at this relatively small venue. Unsurprisingly, it sold out within a day, a testament to their ongoing appeal, helped by the recent appearance of the 16th studio album, Pylon, one that will surely rank as one of their best; a truly relentless outpouring of big beats, rumbling bass, growling vocals and metallic guitars. It is a brilliant statement of power, dynamics and uncompromising sentiments from a band that refuses to mellow, or to dine greedily on their past. They are as relevant now as they were then, a very rare achievement for a band going more than 35 years.
 
For sure, Killing Joke play plenty of the old stuff, particularly a lot of their very early material when they strode onto the already fertile alternative scene with a series of recordings that still easily stand up today. Beginning with The Wait, they interspersed the set with classics such as The Fall of Because, Requiem, Pssyche, Madness, and then Wardance getting a particularly rousing reception during the encore. Elsewhere they littered the relentless, no-nonsense set with songs from their post 1990 catalogue, but it was interesting to note that they didn't touch anything from their commercial heyday of 1982-86, including the non-appearance of their only bona fide hit, Love Like Blood. This time around they took the conscious decision to omit this one and others such as Kings & Queens and Empire Song, both minor hits.
 
As for their new album, they played more than half of it, most of it new to the audience tonight, and usually hitting the spot, such as the venomous Autonomous Zone, the aptly named Euphoria, and the call-to-arms of I Am The Virus.
 
This was a particularly hardcore Killing Joke crowd tonight, full of middle aged punks and punkesses, but all too much for a sizeable portion of the crowd who at various stages of the night, decamped to the relative peace and quiet of the bar area where they could watch on the big screen… That is, of course, no way to watch a band. While some of the audience may not be able to take it aurally (and the fact it was an all-standing gig, packed, and a little sweaty), Killing Joke still don’t take no prisoners. And although the room's acoustics and shape aren't particularly sympathetic to the nuances and subtle dynamics of their recorded music, you just have to admire this band for their continuing desire to make powerful and meaningful music, and to engage in the communal catharsis that they explicitly strive for in the live arena.
Jeff Hemmings