Killing Joke: The Concert File
Living In The Eighties: 1983-1987
This time has become known as the 'mid-period' of the band -- at least according to most 'encyclopedia of rock' books that even bother to mention Killing Joke's existence. Certainly it was with the Night Time and Brighter Than A Thousand Suns albums that they achieved their greatest commercial (and grudging critical) success. It also marked a time when creative and personal differences begin to come to the surface, setting the stage for some radical changes as the decade came to a close.
1983
The first part of the year is relatively quiet in terms of live appearances and activities, presumably because the band are busy recording the Fire Dances album.
26 June: Poitiers (France), Chapiteau Festival "L'oreille est hardie". This was the first ever French gig, kicking off at 5:00 PM with an early incarnation of Sonic Youth as the support act along with a now long-forgotten band known as Orchestre Rouge.
Setlist: Wardance/ We Have Joy/ Frenzy/ Psyche/ Sun Goes Down/ Lust Almighty/ Song and Dance/ The Gathering/ Rejuvenation/ (Let's All Go) To The Fire Dances/ The Pandys Are Coming.
12 July: John Peel Radio Session
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21 July: Sheffield, Leadmill 22 July: Glasgow, Nightmoves 23 July: Durham, Dunelm Ballroom |
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24 July: Ashton, The Metro
26 July: Cardiff, Top Rank
27 July: Nottingham, Rock City
28 July: Hull, Spring Street Theatre
29 July: Dunstable, Queensway Hall
30 July: Birmingham, Digbeth Civic Centre
31 July: London, Hammersmith Palais
with support from The Box, Sexbeat and Play Dead.
Setlist: Dominator/ Frenzy/ Pssyche/ Lust Almighty/ Sun Goes Down/ Song And Dance/ Requiem/ The Fall Of Because/ We Have Joy/ Empire Song/ Change/ Take Take Take/ The Pandys Are Coming
18 August: Leeds, Queens Hall ("Futurama Festival")
24 August: Copenhagen, venue unknown
9 September; Eindhoven, Effenaar
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13 September: Dusseldorf, Zeche Bochum Setlist: included The Hum, Let's All Go.
"The Band was fantastic! Geordie was the iceberg in
that melting pot and Raven was even thinner! Rumours were going around
later that one guy had been killed during the pogo dancing! Who knows?!
But watching this mad crowd then...it could be true. Honest." --Ralle
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25 September: Mugnano (Italy)
29 September: Lyon, Palais D'Hiver
30 September: Paris, Le Palace
2 October: Zedelgem, Groene Meerson
| 3 October: Antwerp, Hof-ter-lo 8 October: Madrid, Rockola October: Berlin, Loft Club |
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3 December: Southampton, West Refectory 4 December: Brighton University 6 December: Brighton, Riverside 7 December: Cardiff, New Ocean Club
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| 9 December: Leicester University 11 December: Swindon, Brunel Rooms with support from Crown Of Thorns. 12 December: Birmingham, Tower Ballroom |
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13 December: Sheffield, Top Rank
14 December: Manchester, Hacienda
15 December: Edinburgh, Coasters
16 December: Newcastle, The Tube TV Show, Channel 4
The band perform Dominator, Frenzy and Eighties.
17 December: Newcastle, Bear Pit
18 December: Leeds, Tiffany's
19 December: Nottingham, Rock City
20 December: Liverpool, Royal Court
1984
1 January: London, Hammersmith Palais
with support from Danielle Dax and March Violets
Setlist: Booids Intro/Song & Dance/Empire Song/We Have Joy/Pssyche/Complications/Lust Almighty/Sun Goes Down/Requiem/Change/Eighties/The Pandys Are Coming/Wardance/Frenzy/The Fall Of Because/Dominator/Tension/The Gathering
A clear but somewhat distant-sounding audience recording was made and widely circulated.
15 February: Osnabrueck (Germany), Hyde Park
16 February: Hamburg, Markthalle
17 February: Berlin, The Loft
18 February: Muenster, Odeon
19 February: Cologne, Luxor
20 February: Bochum, Zeche
21 February: Frankfurt, Batschkapp
23 February: Vienna, U4 Disco
Setlist: Song & Dance/Empire Song/Pssyche/Lust Almighty/Sun Goes Down/Frenzy/The Wait/We Have Joy/Wardance/Change/Eighties
There is a tape of this gig, fairly good sounding audience recording.
25 February: Munich, Alabamahalle
29 May: Kid Jensen Radio Session
29 June: Dyrskuepladsen, Denmark, Roskilde Festival
Setlist: Booids Intro/Frenzy/Complications/Pssyche/Lust Almighty/Sun Goes Down/Good Samaritan/Song & Dance/Dominator/Blue Feather/New DayThe Wait/Change/Requiem/Eighties/Wardance/Tension
"An OK audience recording of a great gig stuffed full of rarities. Tension cuts off halfway through; the soundboard tracks are from a Danish TV broadcast of the concert." --TB
This is the last live appearance for the summer. The band spend August and September recording the Night Time album at Hansa Studios in Berlin.
21 December: Barcelona
The band also make an appearance on the Estoc de Pop Spanish TV show around this time; the exact date and content is unknown.
1985
At some point during this tour, Dave Kovecevic joins on keyboards.
19 January: Colchester, Essex University
Setlist: includes Night Time, Kings & Queens and Darkness Before Dawn.
21 January: Leicester University
22 January: Blackburn, King George's Hall
25 January: Newcastle, The Tube TV show, Channel 4
The band perform Night Time, Kings & Queens and Love Like Blood.
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1 February: Reading, Hexagon 3 February: London, Hammersmith Palais 6 February: Brighton, Top Rank 8 February: Exeter, Riverside 9 February: Oxford, Polytechnic 10 February: Bristol, Studio 11 February: Cardiff University 13 February: Nottingham, Rock City |
"A cult the size of Iceland gathers for the homecoming of Jaz in the black jeans and to pay homage to Geordie's unique guitar noise - a buzzing lawnmower on the green fields of pop sensibility - and Paul's cogent, influential drumming. . . . Here is the manic, grinding Eurodance of 'Night Time'. And, of course, most of the new album, from the crystal clear 'Kings And Queens to the dirty 'Tabazan'. Jaz stares, leers, shouts: "Listen!" And as the tension grows, they throw 'Requiem' and the agonised script-for-life 'Bloodsport' into the carnage. . . . Killing Joke are pure devastation live." -- Chris Roberts, reviewing the Hammersmith Palais gig, NME |
14 February: Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Victoria Hall (Cancelled due to conflict with a Top Of The Pops appearance; rescheduled for March, exact date unknown)
15 February: Warwick University
18 February: Sheffield, Top Rank
19 February: Leeds University
20 February: Newcastle, Tiffany's
21 February: Edinburgh, Kaley Palais
22 February: Glasgow, Queen Margaret Union
Setlist: Booids/ Night Time/ Sun Goes Down/ Tabazan/ The Wait/ Darkness Before Dawn/ Kings And Queens/ Multitudes/ Requiem/ Bloodsport/ Love Like Blood/ Tension/ Change/ Psyche/ Eighties/ Wardance.
23 February: Manchester, Apollo
24 February: Birmingham, Powerhaus
Setlist: Booids/Night Time/ Sun Goes Down/ Tabazan/ The Wait/ Darkness Before Dawn/ Kings And Queens/ Multitudes/ Requiem/ Bloodsport/ Love Like Blood/ Tension/ Change/ Pssyche/ Eighties/ Follow The Leader/ Wardance.
25 February: London, Hammersmith Palais
Setlist: Night Time/ Sun Goes Down/ Tabazan/ The Wait/ Darkness Before Dawn/ Kings And Queens/ Multitudes/ Requiem/ Bloodsport/ Love Like Blood/ Tension/ Change/ Pssyche/ Eighties/ Wardance
2 March: Liverpool, Royal Court Theatre
Setlist: Night Time/Sun Goes Down/Tabazan/The Wait/Darkness Before Dawn/Kings
And Queens/Multitudes/Requiem/
Bloodsport/Love Like Blood/Tension/Change/Psyche/Eighties/Wardance
6 March: London, Paris Theatre
Setlist: Night Time/Tabazan*/Darkness Before Dawn/Kings and Queens/Tension*/ Pssyche*/Eighties/Wardance
"Tracks marked* were released on the BBC in Concert CD in 1996 out of order, edited between and with bad sound! A recording of the whole gig from FM radio is floating around with better sound than the CD and is worth seeking out." -- TB
9 March, Toulouse
10 March, Tous, Salle des Halles
12 March, Paris, Mutualite
13 March: Lyon, Palais d'Hiver
20 March: Bologna, Teatro Tenda
25 March, Munich, Alabamahalle
Setlist: Night Time/ Sun Goes Down/ Tabazan/ The Wait/ Love Like Blood/ Tension/ Change/ Pssyche/ Eighties/ Wardance.
26 March: Frankfurt, Batschkapp
27 March: Detmold, Hunky Dory
28 March: Berlin, Metropol
29 March: Hamburg, Markethalle
30 March: Muenster, Odeon (cancelled)
31 March: Bochum, Zeche
2 April: Osnabrueck, Subway
3 April: Cologne, Alter Wartesaal
4 April: Rotterdam, Arena
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5 April: The Hague, Paard van Troje Den Haag 6 April: Amsterdam, Paradiso 7 April: Bree, Belgium, Breekend Festival 11 April: Arnhem, Rijenhal 14 April: Hollywood, John Anson Ford Theatre 17 April: San Francisco, Club DVB 18 April: San Francisco, Paradise Lounge |
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22 April: Tokyo, Shinjuku Nenkin Kosei Hall
28 April: Melbourne, University
29 April: Melbourne, Prince of Wales Hotel
27 July: Cornwall, St. Germans ("Elephant Fayre")
Setlist:
The Hum/Darkness Before Dawn/Requiem/Empire Song/Tabazan/Night
Time/Kings and Queens/Good Samaritan/Love Like Blood/Bloodsport/Complications/The
Wait Pssyche/Eighties/Wardance/Sun Goes Down/Follow The Leaders
"being straight from the mixing desk, the
quality is high (although the bass
features low in the mix) but during the opening song "The Hum" the engineer
is obviously having a fiddle as it briefly cuts out a couple of times ...
other than that, it was a fine performance." --Antoni Adamiak
3 August: Sneek, Netherlands, Sneekwave Festival
10 August: Belgium, De Panne Seaside Festival
17 August: St. Goarshausen, Loreley-Freilichtbuehne ("Rockpalast Festival")
setlist: Booids Intro/The Hum/Darkness Before Dawn/Requiem/Empire Song/Tabazan/Night Time/Kings & Queens/The Good Samaritan/Love Like Blood/Bloodsport/Complications/The Wait/Psyche/Eighties/Wardance
The audio and Quicktime video are available on the official release No Way Out But Forward Go. At least part of the gig was broadcast on German TV and video clips are in circulation.
24 August: Alsdorf, Freizeitpark
31 August: Schuettorf, Open Air
15 November: Nottingham, Rock City
1986
The first part of the year sees the band taking a well-deserved break from touring. They meet up in Berlin at Hansa Studios in the spring to begin work on what will become the Brighter Than A Thousand Suns album.
22 August: Reading Festival
"Killing Joke came over very forceful and Jaz, looking mad as ever, really wanted to give a great set over to those that had braved the rain but it didn't seem to come off. This could be sensed by the band as they did not come out for an encore." --A review from the House Of Dolls magazine, Sept/Oct 1986.
27 September: Burton-on-Trent, Central Park
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28 September: London, Hammersmith Palais Setlist: Intro/Twilight of the Mortals/Chessboards/Kings & Queens/Darkness Before Dawn/Night Time/Love Like Blood/Love Of The Masses/Sanity/Sun Goes Down/The Wait/Requiem/Eighties/Wardance |
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18 November: Glasgow, Barrowlands
19 November: Newcastle, Mayfair
Setlist: Twilight Of The Mortal/ Chessboards/ Kings And Queens/ Darkness Before Dawn/ Night Time/ Love Like Blood/ Love Of The Masses/ Sun Goes Down/ Requiem/ The Wait/ Wardance/ Eighties/ Rubicon. Encore: Complications.
21 November: Manchester, Apollo
Setlist: Twilight Of The Mortal/ Chessboards/ Kings And Queens/ Darkness Before Dawn/ Night Time/ Love Like Blood/ Love Of The Masses/ Sun Goes Down/ Requiem/ The Wait/ Wardance/ Eighties/ Rubicon.
22 November: Liverpool, Royal Court
23 November: London, Hammersmith Palais
24 November: Bristol Studio
25 November: Nottingham, Rock City (Cancelled after Jaz fell off the stage in Bristol, suffering a broken arm)
27 November: Coventry, Polytechnic
28 November: Leeds, University
29 November: Sheffield, Octagon University
30 November: Birmingham, Odeon (Cancelled reportedly due to Jaz developing bronchitis)
3 December: Paris, Zenith
4 December: Utrecht, Vrendenberg Music Centre
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6 December: Lyon, Exonere 8 December: Florence, Tenax Setlist: Twilight Of The Mortals/ Darkness Before Dawn/ Night Time/ Love Like Blood/ Love Of The Masses/ Sun Goes Down/ Requiem/ The Wait/ Wardance/ Eighties/ Complications/ Rubicon This concert was also broadcast on Italian TV. |
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13 December: Mainz, Germany
14 December: Bonn, Biskuithalle
15 December: Hamburg, Markethalle
17 December: Berlin, Metropole
20 December: Deinze, Belgium, Brielpoort
1987
At some point during this year, work was begun on the follow-up to Brighter Than A Thousand Suns. However, friction within the band led to the departures of Paul Ferguson and Paul Raven, leaving Jaz and Geordie to carry on with what eventually became Outside The Gate.
Jaz makes an effort to explain the ideas behind the musical arrangements on the album with a lecture, held 19 September 1987, at the Courtauld Institute in London. This lecture was recorded and also released as a Killing Joke album, The Courtauld Talks.
