Killing Joke - Manchester Academy

Manchester sees Killing Joke in fine form.  As is becoming a habit with the rejuvenated Joke, early tour dates see various new songs road tested before the band settle on the ones that will become a fixture for the tour.

Perversely one of the songs that hasn't made the cut is new single 'In Cythera'. Played at Exeter and Bristol, but by Manchester it had been dropped.  But as it is a more reflective song about love and loss, it did sit a little bit at odds with the majority of the new material which sees Jaz & co raging at the ecological and economic implosion of the world.

Manchester 10/03/12 setlist - lovely!

As a slight aside, remember when we all laughed at Jaz's rantings about collapsing society and the need to find a new way of life?  Blimey, turns out the old joker might have been on to something after all...

Back in Manchester, Killing Joke crunch into opener European Super State - hard and danceable - with Geordie's sheet metal guitar satisfyingly to the fore as the band are driven on by Paul Ferguson's ruthless, brutal and efficient percussion.

It's been noticeable how often on this tour the rest of the band take their cue from 'Big' Paul and he sums up a band who, remarkably seem to be at the peak of their powers.  Some achievement after thirty odd years.

Of the new songs 'Rapture' with its Pandemonium era bubbling keyboards, is already shaping up to be a live favourite.  Closely followed by the thumping menace of FEMA Camp (which also makes a nod to the track 'Pandemonium' in the opening guitar riff).  But the 8 minute epic 'Pole Shift' is the centrepiece, a slow atmospheric opening finally stretched to breaking point before the band floor it, moving through the gears faster than Sebastian Vettel, before coming out of the speed tunnel to return to the glacial atmosphere of the opening coda.

Such is the confidence of the band that even the older songs get shaken up.  Tonight 'Tension' drops back in to cuff the audience round the head, while the return of 'Chop Chop' and 'Sun Goes Down' have been a feature of this tour.

Of the remaining new songs 'Corporate Elect' fared less well, being a fairly straightforward burst of fury. Although lyrically I suspect it's bang on the money.  Finally 'Primobile' seems to be one the band themselves don't quite trust live, expect that to be discreetly shelved somewhere on a motorway over the next few days.  Which would be a shame, it sounds an interesting track, but with such a strong back catalogue and a demanding loyal fanbase, you suspect that new songs in the encores won't last long.

A special mention should also go to 'Pssyche' played as it should be with vocals from Youth and 'Big' Paul - still an exhausting howl of anger and paranoia.  You wouldn't want your Killing Joke any other way would you?