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Killing Joke | |
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 Killing Joke performing at the 2009 Ilosaarirock Festival. From left to right: Ferguson (background), Walker, Coleman, Youth | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Cheltenham, England |
| Genres | |
| Discography | Killing Joke discography |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | killingjoke |
Killing Joke are an English rock band formed in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) 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 the album Night Time and particularly the single "Love Like Blood" which reached the top ten in Belgium, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
The band's musical style emerged from the post-punk scene, but stood out due to their heavier approach, and has been cited as a key influence on industrial rock.[1] Their style evolved over many years, at times incorporating elements of gothic rock,[2] synth-pop and electronic music, but always featuring Walker's prominent guitar and Coleman's "savagely strident vocals".[1] Killing Joke have influenced many later bands and artists, such as Metallica, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden.
Following Raven's sudden death in 2007, all four founding members returned to the band's lineup the following year. Coleman and Walker were the only constant members of the band until Walker's death in 2023.[3]
- ^ a b "Killing Joke". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (2005). "Chapter 22: 'Dark Things: Goth and the Return of Rock'". Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-21569-6.
The fourth cornerstone of the Goth sound and sensibility were Killing Joke. [...] Goth's appeal to the irrational could sometimes stray into unwholesome territory. Killing Joke exemplified this
Lewis, Luke."Release The Bats - It's The 20 Greatest Goth Tracks" Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine « 11. Killing Joke – Love Like Blood Aligning love and sex with blood is a standard goth trope, but Jaz Coleman's lyrics always cut deeper than the usual 'doomed romance' cliches. On this 1985 single, one of the few times KJ ever troubled 'Top of the Pops', he uses martial imagery to create a sense of apocalyptic struggle.
Most gothic moment: "Strength and beauty destined to decay".»
Murray, Robin. "Killing Joke 2010 Uk Shows". Clash. 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2018. « One of the first bands to be labelled 'gothic' Killing Joke helped inspire a movement that has travelled across the world. » - ^ Mowat, Jim (25 May 2021). "The Strange and Talented Days of Killing Joke". Medium. Retrieved 26 November 2023.