Its appearance on the website of cosmetics firm Lush might be somewhat baffling, but this stout defence of Killing Joke by John Doran of the Quietus is well worth your time. The catalyst for Doran's argument is that in accounts of post-punk history (most notably Simon Reynolds' exceptional Rip It Up And Start Again) the band are often overlooked, dismissed or ridiculed as reactionary goths when in fact, he contends, they were true innovators capable of suggesting "the collapse of normal values and negative transcendence through the intensity of music alone", and as such worthy of as much acclaim as the likes of Joy Division.
It's a bold declaration, to be sure - though one with which a couple of friends of mine (including Nightshift editor and long-time Killing Joke fan Ronan) will probably agree, and one that has very much prompted me into checking out a band with whom I'm only very vaguely familiar.
Saturday, August 11, 2018
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Capable of making some truly exciting records - across many decades. I came in with 94's industrial electronics infused Pandemonium - but the hard edge of Absolute Dissent in 2010 and the sharpness of the early 80's post-punk stuff are a wonder to behold.
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