By Rob Jones
Of the many gigs and countless bands I have been fortunate enough to see – Killing Joke have featured in that number count on several occasions. Two outings in 2022 were special shows but as regards a favourite live experience of all time there are several challengers.
The sheer intensity and momentum of a 2003 Killing Joke concert at the compact MS1 Club shifted from the Coal Exchange at the 24th hour would sit at the top of the table. This night was not for the timid and those brave souls that entered the moshpit were bruised and battered, heading into the battle zone only to taste the tsunami and then retreat to be replaced by a second, third and forth plus line of attack.
This pattern pursued during the course of a blistering set from an act in full aural assault as the big guns fired from the performance area. A cannon of colossus bounced off every wall firing its power into the grey matter of all of the sonic soldiers soldered into a tightly packed venue. 20 years on and this evening still resonates and at this precise moment the eponymous 1980 debut album from the Joke sits on my turntable.
The gigantic guitar sound of Geordie Walker is central to all of the above and so much more in a career spanning several raucous decades.
It is therefore distressing to hear that Geordie has sadly passed. Another sonic maestro who has played a major role in my listening whether it be from stage or studio has slid off this mortal coil. Geordie RIP.
