Killing Joke have always been an instrument designed to poke fun at authority, greed, and stupidity, not to strip people (of any creed or kind) of their dignity.

Without stooping to the level of ‘Some our best friends are gay’ etc, it really shouldn’t come as much surprise to anyone that scrapes below the surface, that this band was born out of countercultural movements (good and bad) and from the kind of clubs where ANY degree of misguided prejudice would have been swiftly dealt with.

The quote that people are getting in a twist about (which will be given no dignity here) was printed uncredited in Zig Zag magazine 27 years ago and even at the time the band denied saying it, following their horror at their recent visit to the death camps that year.

The only group of people that were singled out by the band were the hypocrites of organised religion, made the target of satire on the cover of the singles album ‘Laugh I Nearly Bought One’ which features on the front Catholic dignitaries being Nazi Saluted. This was a comment,again, of the hypocrisy of organised religion.

In summary … if anyone out there thinks that we as a band are homophobic, racist, facist or anything of the sort and feel this is a positive ,the message is ,stay away from us.

Is that clear now?

Killing Joke

2012 is the perfect year for us to be releasing an album that is as dense and as dark as the surrounding swirls of madness in the world. At a time when the news is fast-forward and the planet seems to be descending into madness, who better than Killing Joke to reflect this?

The album’s key is the end of times, an age of flux, a shift in consciousness…

“I can’t see the point contemplating extreme life extinction – it’s good for nothing. It’s nihilism in the absolute even considering it.” – Jaz Coleman

This kind of thinking sets the tone for this powerful record, with 2012 and the state of flux the key issue…

“It’s in many different calendars – the great unveiling, the sky and the earth coming together. It’s a significant date. In the autumn, there is a major planetary alignment, and on that day I’m doing this rock festival, ‘A Party At The End of The Earth’, which is going to be in New Zealand. Everything is speeding up. It’s not just our minds shrinking. We are heading towards the Eschaton and no-one really knows what’s going to happen.”

The album reflects this dark vision, but Jaz Coleman sees the great change in a more positive light – the dawning of the Age Of Aquarius…

“All the remote viewers I know, myself included, cannot penetrate beyond. This year is about getting our collective dreams in order, restoring the biosphere, the idea of well-being as opposed to economic growth, the idea of partnership and co-creation with fellow human beings, moving away from national boundaries and more towards what Schiller and Beethoven were saying in some of their work.”

The album’s themes are political, anti-capitalist and forward-looking…

“If we can concentrate on what it can be, the dream of clean streams, of re-forestation, of permaculture, of disengaging all the banks – identifying all the majority shareholders of the top 100 corporations and dismantling them. If we start dreaming of a fairer system and defining what an elite should be – an intellectual powerhouse and not international bankers.”

Jaz laughs that wild laugh and stares.

“This is what I’m touching on with the songs; ‘Fema Camp’ is about the concentration camps they have been building in America; ‘Corporate Elect’ needs no explanation; ‘Rapture’ is the way I perceive a Killing Joke concert – it’s a spiritual experience for myself to get into that state of grace… music is the theme of mantra. I’m not into organised religion at all, but I’ve always liked what Fela Kuti did in Nigeria, playing music like it was a temple. Maybe we will evolve into a time where we will be performing for ritualistic and spiritual reasons alone and not for monetary reasons?”

“There’s a song called ‘On All Hallows Eve’, which is about my belief in ancestor worship, backed up by quantum theories that there is no death. You only ever remember the time-line that you are alive in – you can’t remember being dead because you never were. ‘Colony Collapse’ is about what’s happening, what’s going on out there. ‘Poleshift’ is the first track on the album and about the potential polar shift of the earth’s magnetic field, its erratic behaviour, and also the polar shift that will be needed.”

The 11 album tracks are an avalanche of sound that is empowering whilst jolting you awake. They are as fascinating as chatting with Coleman, as he talks of future humans living forever but with no emotions, and of the Age Of Aquarius and the cycles of time, the shift in the earth’s electro-magnetic field, the end of extreme capitalism, the Arab Spring and how his trips to Cairo to record music have added to his belief that when Cairo falls everywhere else follows…

’2012′ is possibly Killing Joke’s best album ever, and fittingly Mike Coles, long-time Killing Joke collaborator and artistic genius, has completed the artwork.

To celebrate the album’s release, Killing Joke will be streaming the track ‘Rapture’ as a taster on YouTube
‘2012’ is a dense and multi-layered work. Killing Joke have never sounded so intense. The songs are great washes of sound – a death disco with huge slabs of guitar that soundtracks these dangerous times.

‘2012’ is an end-of-time album that somehow finds moments of optimism in the downward swirl of the planet.
Finding hope in the apocalypse, this album just could be their masterpiece.

‘2012’ formats & track-listing
CD/Digital Album
1.Pole Shift
2.Fema Camp
3.Rapture
4.Colony Collapse
5.Corporate Elect
6.In Cythera
7.Primobile
8.Glitch
9.Trance
10. On All Hallow’s Eve

Double Coloured Gatefold Vinyl
SIDE A:
1.Pole Shift
2.Fema Camp
SIDE B:
1.Rapture
2.Colony Collapse
3.Corporate Elect
SIDE C:
1.In Cythera
2.Primobile
3.Glitch
SIDE D:
1.Trance
2.On All Hallow’s Eve

Itunes Album
Itunes exclusive track
11. New Uprising

When their original line-up of Jaz Coleman, Geordie, Youth and Big Paul reconvened in 2008 after working together intermittently, that strange voodoo once again filled the room. Individually, they have a power, but together they have something sulphurous and strong that few bands can match. Killing Joke are not an average band with an average agenda; they lock the door and let the ritual commence, and ’2012′ is the result.

We will be releasing our new album in April 2012 which will be preceded by a UK tour (see below) and followed by a European tour. On the Eve of the UK dates an EP will suddenly appear on both Ltd Vinyl and Download which will contain a variety of Brand new tracks and ‘Mixes’.

We are delighted to announce that after a short absence Mike Coles will be back in the visuals chair and that the original line up remains intact. The album will come out (as did the last) on Spinefarm/Universal records and is 100% finished and mastered, last minute arguments on track listing aside.

We genuinely believe this is our masterpiece and hope you will too. A few track names to whet your appetite;

‘Pole Shift’
‘Fema Camp’
‘In Cythera’
‘Glitch’
‘Colony Collapse’

In the meantime there is still time to Pledge on the KJ Royal Festival Hall Live album via HERE, which has already been sent out for digital download to people whom have pledged. Both Jaz and Youth will be coming at you with new projects through this channel soon.

So, a reminder of those shows…

2012-03-04 Lemon Grove Exeter
2012-03-05 Academy Bristol
2012-03-06 Waterfront Norwich
2012-03-08 Roundhouse London
2012-03-09 Corporation Sheffield
2012-03-10 Academy 2 Manchester
2012-03-12 ABC Glasgow
2012-03-13 Academy Newcastle
2012-03-14 Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton
2012-03-16 Pyramids Portsmouth
2012-03-17 Academy Oxford

Tikets for the above shows available HERE, or head to the GIG SECTION of the website for direct ticket links for individual shows, including our European Tour…

2012-04-11 MELKWEGA MSTERDAM (HOLLAND)
2012-04-12 ROADBURN FESTIVAL TILBERG (HOLLAND)
2012-04-13 LA CIGALE PARIS (FRANCE)
2012-04-14 LA LAITERIE STRASBOURG (FRANCE)
2012-04-16 BIKINI TOULOUSE (FRANCE)
2012-04-19 TRANSBORDEUR LYON (FRANCE)
2012-04-20 LIVE CLUBMILAN/TREZZO (ITALY)
2012-04-22 ORION ROME (ITALY)
2012-04-24 ABART ZURICH (SWITZERLAND)
2012-04-25 SZENE WIEN VIENNA (AUSTRIA
2012-04-27 BACKSTAGE MUNICH (GERMANY)
2012-04-29 FABRIK HAMBURG (GERMANY)
2012-05-01 BATSCHKAPP FRANKFURT (GERMANY)
2012-05-02 POSTBAHNOF BERLIN (GERMANY)
2012-05-03 VOORUIT GENT (BELGIUM)
2012-05-04 CIRCUS HELSINKI (FINLAND)
2012-05-05 Aysmetry Festival POLAND

End transmission.

We are now in the final stages of finishing mixing the new KJ album tentatively titled 2012. One of us wanted The Apocalypse but that was quickly vetoed.

This album has been ridiculously hard to make with sessions in Spain, Prague and England.

Once again the battles are fierce timeless quests of intention, the fighting bloody and deeply personal over the differences of opinion and direction with this monster but all agree it’s one of our best.

Yet the music came through initially very swiftly and with ease. We started in Granada earlier in the year with Jaz laying down some of the most inspired keyboards we’ve ever done, in fact I can’t think of an album where he has got more involved with the keyboards.

Later in Prague the city of Alchemists in the heart of Bohemia we laid down more new songs, overdubbed guitars and vocals ,with Geordie unleashing his acoustic side on one song Cytheria was some mighty fine acoustic pickings… good vibes and dark and rich atmospheres.

If Europe was Lord of the Rings, Prague would be Rivendale, the Fairy realm. Here they have fiercely retained their ancient Celtic cultural roots, despite being surrounded within the heart of the Teutonic Saxon Empire. There is a joy de vie here and lust for the sensual pleasures of life, poetry, drinking, music and great food… and smoking in all the bars, yeah!. Even their president was a poet and you can still find hot mead and roasting chestnuts on the cobblestone streets in winter. There is a strong matriarchal culture and the women as well as being tall and strikingly beautiful ,in an otherworldly way.They are very strong independent, confident and in command. Intoxicating.

We returned to Spain at the beginning of Nov and began mixing the album with Clive Goddard, who has worked with myself closely over the last 15 years as both recording engineer and mixer on many productions. He was Joined by Tom who has been working with Mushroom from Massive attack for the last 2 years. Tom was there to engineer the last of Jaz ‘s vocals .Jaz had already burnt out two engineers who were refusing to return and Tom was our last hope, or tethered goat awaiting sacrifice more like! Despite him looking like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown he seemed very calm and coped well with Jaz’s manic behaviour and wanting to work crazy hours thru the night, this wasn’t to last too long and soon grasped the first opportunity of escape, bailing out gracefully after a couple of weeks. which left Clive and Michael, my assistant and myself to mop up the sessions .The sessions were so complicated to work out what was what, and where everything was stored etc from all the many sessions and all the different countries. The engineers had a veritable labyrinth of digital drives. It was sending all of us into meltdown( always a good sign of a great album) although I got really worried when i noticed a pile of empty whisky bottles were rolling out from under one bed, as the poor sap staggered around in a alcoholic daze muttering to himself and vowing to never work with the band or have anything to do with magic again, he locked himself in the toilet, cursing under his breath what he had done to deserve this gruel……and it was only 11am in the morning !

Jaz taunted him with a fully stocked bar of hard liquor and sign saying “Jaz’s bar” – and Jaz doesn’t even drink! I sensed this is part of Jaz’s gestalt motivational therapy technique ie if its falling kick it. Although he could have just been indulging his warped sense of humour, ether way it was sur-reality car crash TV.

This was also compounded by the previous sesh where Geordie , who had recut some drum tracks with Big Paul the week before in Bath. They had gone for complete live “live” as in like a gig, drum takes with guitars (one of Geordie’s favourite albums is The Who, Live at leeds and he likes his albums to sound like a great gig, as is popular in some American productions and i agree the performance factor must be high but also think a record is a different from a gig, ideally a classic album that also sounds like a classic gig!) However despite endless epic battles of production philosophy and polar opposite criteria, we have distilled it down to the definitive mix. Although they hadn’t edited or tightened up the recordings, which would then prove to take tom and michael weeks more with the scalpel and lots of fine tuning .

This session was beset with Biblical challenges. First our power was cut off due to some bureaucratic cock up and we to had haul in a massive generator until power was restored at great expense. Then we had some spectacular lightning storms which resulted in some flooding and leaking in the main studio, buckets everywhere. Jaz in full exhaustion, paranoia vocal freak out mode, exasperated by severe toothache and groaning and moaning endlessly.This session inevitably went way over any schedule/budget etc and then i had the complications amplified when the ultra sensitive, fragile and fabulous… and NME darling Maximillion Hecker arrived from Berlin to begin his new album, his 6th, which i was also producing on a very tight and unmovable German schedule.

So there we all were and I was attempting to juggle three under pressure teams and three very complex sessions with polar opposite dynamics and equally complex but different artist’s, simultaneously in the Spanish wilderness, Intense and no escape. The ideal environment for Jaz to vent forth on the world and her problems not to mention twenty years of sibling rivalry, bile and bitter vinegar and thats just for breakfast. I have to admit I love it, I thrive on this sort of pressure .

All the challenges make for greatest music and all the music we recorded sounds amazing, awesome (to me anyway) and strangely enough Jaz took a shine to Max and his bitter sweet suicide lounge ballads. They got on very well…

When I decided to build this studio sometimes known as “Space Mountain” currently called “Mirador”, it was to give me some compensation and reward for spending 20 years plus in dark pokey electronic basement studio hells with no daylight. I couldn’t face another 20 years of that no matter how much i loved music, so I found a location in spain with huge views and copied my favourite room, studio 2 in Olympic and built a state of the art dream studio in the wilderness with large glass windows and 30 mile views that inspire. Epic, I’ve spent 5 years enjoying that since we were able to start recording in 2006.Since then we’ve made over 12 albums there at least 4 of them going to number one… the vibe is fantastic. I’ve spent many months in some of the worlds best residential studios but nothing comperes to what we have achieved with Mirador and to be able to record Killing Joke there is the fulfilment of a life long dream.

Part of my vision for this was formed when we rented a house in New Zealand for Crowded House’s Together alone album in 91. The location and studio were just amazing and i thought, one day ill build a place of my own like this but better. 10 years later thats exactly what I did. What makes it even better is there is more space in Mirador so we can set up three or more studios running simultaneously, this creates a small artistic community, which again fuels and calibrates our inspiration and the work we do.This was the first time i had three sessions running and it was a great thrill and lots of fun, despite the pressures and intensity involved i could see for the first time the facility come together as intended. We also invited Artist Tracy Moberly to be artist in residence to create artistic synergies and inter discipline collaborations. Later on we had painter Antonia Myatt, what a great feeling to walk through the house, the smell on linseed, leather and canvas and white spirit pervading through the Nag Champa incense smog. Paul has been very involved in the lyrics of this album and has been great fleshing through lyrical ideas and concepts with Jaz and Paul by the fire late at night over a wee dram or two. I have enjoyed very much putting in some end of the world apocalyptic sub baselines.

Cold austerity versus wild abandon seems to be an overall dynamic with themes dealing with the times we are living in to intense personal admissions and lots of magic and alchemy and fierce politik.

There are some other very exciting plans for Killing Joke next year that our some still secret and will be announced officially on the website. One of these is one I am closely involved with and getting closer to finishing is the Killing Joke In Dub album that will be available next year. It is really bone crunchingly heavy.

Youth

Having today taken delivery of the DVD part of the Pledge package via Mr Mike Coles it gives us massive pleasure to announce that we are 100% on track to deliver all Pledges on time… or maybe even a tad early!

To say thanks to everyone whom has pledged thus far, we will be sending everyone a link prior to Christmas to download the whole concert for free prior to your orders turning up. This link will also be made available to all those people that got caught up in the GEMS OF POWER issues a few years back. (We have all your email addresses from that time).

To give you a taste of ‘Down By The River’, here’s a free download of ‘Asteroid’, taken from the record.

‘Asteroid (live)’

Furthermore… in the spirit of giving… we have found 40 original prints from the 25 year anniversary shows at the Shepherds Bush Empire in 2005. These were quite literally found underneath a sofa, and only 60 were ever printed, so we thought we would give ‘em away as part of our Pledge campaign.

So… We will be picking 20 people at random whom have already pledged, and adding a print to their order free of charge and also will give one free print to the next 20 people to pledge before 24 December.

We’ll also be looking to add the names of as many pledgers as possible in the album artwork by way of a small thank you. So if you haven’t already pledged please do – and if you have but would prefer your name is not included please login to your account at HERE and use the ‘contact us about this pledge’ link to let us know.

We’ll leave it as late as possible prior to manufacturing the album to allow for the inclusion of as many names as possible but due to both space and deadline constraints we can’t offer any redress if your name doesn’t make it. But we’ll be fitting as many in as possible!

We’re also pleased to announce a run of 19 dates across Europe in April and May 2012, starting in Holland, hitting France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and finishing in Finland.

This is to support our new studio album that we’re currently working on, and along with our UK tour dates will form one of our biggest outings in years.

We hope to see you there for the ride.

Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Paul.

Wed 11 Apr 2012 – Holland, Amsterdam, Melkweg
Thu 12 Apr 2012 – Holland, Tilberg, Roadburn Festival
Fri 13 Apr 2012 – France, Paris, La Cigale
Sat 14 Apr 2012 – France, Strasbourg, La Laiterie
Mon 16 Apr 2012 – France, Toulouse, Bikini
Tue 17 Apr 2012 – Spain, Barcelona, Music Hall
Thu 19 Apr 2012 – France, Lyon, Transbordeur
Fri 20 Apr 2012 – Italy, Milan/Trezzo, Live Club
Sat 21 Apr 2012 – Italy, Florence, Viper
Sun 22 Apr 2012 – Italy, Rome, Orion
Tue 24 Apr 2012 – Switzerland, Zurich, Abart
Wed 25 Apr 2012 – Austria, Vienna, Szene Wien
Fri 27 Apr 2012 – Germany, Munich, Backstage
Sat 28 Apr 2012 – Germany, Dortmund, Rock in de Ruien
Sun 29 Apr 2012 – Germany, Hamburg, Fabrik
Tue 01 May 2012 – Germany, Frankfurt, Batschkapp
Wed 02 May 2012 – Germany, Berlin, Postbahnof
Thu 03 May 2012 – Belgium, Gent, Vooruit
Fri 04 May 2012 – Finland, Helsinki, Circus

26 tracks have been written and recorded in one way or another and the process of pulling an album together and arguing about what makes it and what doesn’t is very much ongoing!

The following UK tour dates have been announced in support of this brand new studio album. The set lists on these dates will form the most comprehensive career spanning shows to date and are shaping up to be unmissable. European tour dates are to follow and will be on sale in the next two weeks.

Sun 04 Mar – Exeter Lemon Grove
Mon 05 Mar – Bristol Academy
Tue 06 Mar – Norwich Waterfront
Thu 08 Mar – London Roundhouse
Fri 09 Mar – Sheffield Corporation
Sat 10 Mar – Manchester Academy 2
Mon 12 Mar – Glasgow ABC
Tue 13 Mar – Newcastle Academy
Wed 14 Mar – Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
Fri 16 Mar – Portsmouth Pyramids
Sat 17 Mar – Oxford Academy

CLICK ON YOUR DATE FOR DIRECT TICKET LINK.

TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR ALL DATES HERE.

This day is of course the annual meeting of the Magpie Club, which began at Usine, Geneva 2007. Applications for membership to Magpie Club require that: A – The applicants knew Paul Raven and are prepared to share their stories. B- Each member, must dress in Black & White and bring something stolen to the occasion. C- We must all eat fillet of perch, Raven’s favorite dish and have pockets full of kinder happy hippos. Lastly, my Lord Raven is alive and well in quantum immortality. We would like to see a healthy turnout at next years Magpie club in Geneva or Prague.

Jaz x

As you’ll all know by now, we’ve announced a brand new live album via Pledge Music, ‘Down By The River’, which was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall earlier this year and will be released in January 2012.

Geordie Walker, our guitarist and founding member of Killing Joke, had a vision to record the show and produce the results himself to give fans what he describes as “the definitive KJ live album”.

This record, exclusively available via Pledge Music, has been a very personal project for Geordie, who has given this message to fans:

After more than twenty five years of separation, having the ‘legendary’ original line-up of one’s band re-united and still have it generating the same excitement as it did at it’s inception; can only be looked upon (in my humble opinion) as a gift from the Gods!

With all it’s fabulous, sometimes bordering on surreal, imperfections, the chemistry of four such utterly different individuals truly does add up to more the sum of it’s parts.

Having a concert booking landing on ‘April Fools Day’ 2011 (the thirty-second anniversary of myself joining Jaz & Paul in this venture, with Youth shortly to follow) and realizing there had never been a proper live recording of this line-up; a secret plan was swung into action.

Knowing that, if all the band knew the concert was being recorded, the resulting performance would have been far too guarded. So, other than myself (and with their able help) the only people that knew were Mr. Johnny Mac, our bang-on sound-man & Reza Udin, who is now our longest serving keyboard player.

What was captured is undoubtedly Killing Jokes’ finest ever London performance…

Long term collaborator Clive Goddard also disappeared, along with Geordie and Reza, into the wilds of Henley Upon Thames and the wonderful Doghouse Studios to help create this amazing piece of work, which you can purchase on a number of formats, including; a signed 3 disc CD/DVD, double vinyl, and a signed album art screen print, alongside your standard formats such as CD and download.

A download of the album comes free with every pledge option, and not only does pledging give you access to this record in your chosen format but also to the pledgers only updates page where we’ll be looking to post exclusive content and notes about this record.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT PLEDGE MUSIC.

If you have any live pictures you may have taken at the Royal Festival Hall show, or any other classic performance, please send them to us at killingjoke@greenhousegroup.com, as they could be included in the album’s artwork, credited with your name.

Also, a reminder that tickets for our March 2012 are currently on sale HERE.

We’ll be back with more insider news form Killing Joke HQ soon. Until then.

Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Paul.

Not long ago we promised you some Killing Joke news, and here it is.

Not only is our brand new website up and running; with a gig history, discography and tattoos board, but we’d also like to announce a brand new live album being released via PledgeMusic.

‘Down By The River’ will be released in January 2012 via formats including a download version, CD, double vinyl and some very special editions. This new partnership will provide a direct-to-fan offering giving Gatherers the chance to participate in the making and release of the new album.

2010 and 2011 have been two of the most successful years for Killing Joke yet and have seen us release ‘Absolute Dissent’, our most critically well received album to date. In the UK alone it won Album of the Year at The Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and theLifetime Achievement recognition at the Classic Rock Awards, presented to them by long term fan Jimmy Page.

Live shows also saw a dramatic upswing seeing us play incredible sets at Sonisphere, The Hammersmith Apollo and of course ‘The Royal Festival Hall’ appearance that is now being released here.

Geordie Walker, our guitarist and founding member, had a vision to record the show and produce the results himself to give the fan base what he describes as “the definitive KJ live album”. Geordie, long term collaborator ‘Clive Goddard’, and KJ keys player Rezza Udin, disappeared into the wilds of Henley Upon Thames and the wonderful Doghouse Studios and created this amazing piece of work.

As part of the release we are also making available a range of unique and rare items via PledgeMusic, such as Geordie’s customised Warwick guitar, t-shirts, album artwork screen prints, plus much, much more…

For existing band merchandise, you can also visit .

We’ll be adding more sections, with more ways for you to interact with the band, and each other as the months progress… so keep checking back for the latest band news.

Oh, and of course there’s our 2012 Tour which tickets are still available for. Just click your date, and you’ll be taken to a ticket buying page. We’ll see you all next March. Until then.

Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Paul.