15-06-2017 Killing Joke

[schema type=”event” evtype=”MusicEvent” name=”15-06-2017 Killing Joke” description=”Support: Grave Pleasures” sdate=”2017-06-15″ street=”Batschkapp” city=”Frankfurt” country=”DE” ]
A hot summer day has come to an end with a small thunderstorm. So it was perfect that we were heading into Batschkapp to see a show of a legendary band: Killing Joke.

The venue was quite warm already and quite some people had come out already to see tonight’s event. The opening act was a quite unknown band from Finland. Grave Pleasures was their name. As they entered the stage on time, everyone was excited to see what the band would be like.

Grave Pleasures is a Finnish post-punk band from Helsinki. Formed in 2010, Grave Pleasure’s previous incarnation, “Beastmilk”, released a demo followed by an EP, and later debut full-length “Climax”. Members Mat McNerney and Valtteri Arino continued the band in 2015 as Grave Pleasures, following Johan Snell and Paile’s departure with the group. With new members, Grave Pleasures released “Dreamcrash” months later.

The sound of the band reminded a little of The Cure or Joy Division. The light was dim and the lyrics were dark. The band took over the little space on the crowded stage and performed their set of thirty minutes. A set, the audience got lost in. They were dancing along to the music, cheering loudly after each song. The band thanked them for the good reception and the positive feedback.

The set was short, but it was time for the main act of the evening: Killing Joke.

Killing Joke is an English rock band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original line-up included Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitars) and Youth (bass). Their first album, Killing Joke, was released in 1980. After the release of Revelations in 1982, bassist Youth was replaced by Paul Raven. The band achieved mainstream success in 1985 with both the album Night Time and the single “Love Like Blood”.

As soon as the band entered the stage, the audience was blown away. The presence of each musician was breathtaking. The light remained dim. Candles and sticks of incense were burning on stage, to complete the atmosphere. The singer was surrounded by spots that added a gloomy and dark glow to his performance. He took over the entire stage with his performance. The other musicians moved around here and there but mainly sticked to their spots.

Killing Joke was playing songs of all eras of their almost forty years of band history. And the audience was fan enough to know the lyrics to each and every single song of the band. They sang and danced along, cheering loudly between and after the songs. The ground was shaking from the music’s bass and drums.

The band’s performance was almost theatric and absolutely extraordinary. Everyone loved it. Killing Joke talked quite a bit to the audience between the songs. The fans replied with high appreciation. It was an amazing night and a memorable show. One that left everyone behind speechless and almost blessed to have witnessed such an amazing performance.

Grave Pleasures Facebook
Killing Joke Official