40th Anniversary Tour
Stodola Club,
Oct 20, 2018
I knew the setlist well. It consisted of their early stuff the hits but it also had quite a lot of their late-period material. The set started with Love Like Blood which I really wanted to hear. Last time in Toronto Jaz could not perform properly due to the voice problems so it was omitted. I must say, that it lacked that punch maybe as it's the first song in the set. But then as the band warmed up, they got into the groove. Well, they have 40 years of experience, so no wonder they can sound so great. I really enjoyed most of their set, especially Eighties, Death and Resurrection Show and Requiem. Unfortunately Warsaw was the first time they dropped Follow The Leaders, which I had planned to record.
Stodola Club,
Oct 20, 2018
2006 marked my first visit to Warsaw and also my first
proper concert (Depeche Mode in the old Legia stadium). Now I returned to
Warsaw to see Killing Joke for the third time. This time it's a 40th
anniversary. It was also the 11th anniversary of the untimely passing of the
great Paul Raven.
I do not remember too much of Warsaw from my previous visit
but I've heard a lot of good things about the present of the Polish capital. It's
true, Warsaw is a big, lively and very well-planned city. It obviously has its
share of grey communist architecture, but it also has plenty of interesting
things to see. I will definitely be back as I missed some of the sights.
I stayed at the hotel within walking distance to the gig
venue. Stodola is a former students' club of the Warsaw Polytechnic University.
It can probably host over a thousand of music fans and overall I enjoyed it
very much. Stodola reminded me of the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Plenty of
room in the lobby and with an open terrace and a cloak room. I also enjoyed the
fact that shows start much earlier here. Support was at 7 and KJ set was at 8.
I've never heard of Turbowolf, who were an opening act. I
listened to a few things just to get myself acquainted but turns out they
should be consumed live. It's a high-octane and heavy mixture of various music
style. It's a trio led by a lanky vocalist who looks like a Frank Zappa's
doppelganger. He was jumping up and down the stage, playing with the crowd. It
looks like Turbowolf has some kind of following in Poland and I can see why -
it's an excellent live band that can attract an audience and not just
metalheads.
As for Killing Joke, I think I loved this show more than the previous two. It's still their original lineup: Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Big Paul. They also had a synth player at the side of the stage. Jaz was his usual self. This time I was really close to the stage so I could see his famous hawk nose, bushy eyebrows, his unmistakable grimaces, gestures and menacing looks. It was visible how much he enjoyed performing and playing with the rest of the band.
As for Killing Joke, I think I loved this show more than the previous two. It's still their original lineup: Jaz, Geordie, Youth and Big Paul. They also had a synth player at the side of the stage. Jaz was his usual self. This time I was really close to the stage so I could see his famous hawk nose, bushy eyebrows, his unmistakable grimaces, gestures and menacing looks. It was visible how much he enjoyed performing and playing with the rest of the band.
I knew the setlist well. It consisted of their early stuff the hits but it also had quite a lot of their late-period material. The set started with Love Like Blood which I really wanted to hear. Last time in Toronto Jaz could not perform properly due to the voice problems so it was omitted. I must say, that it lacked that punch maybe as it's the first song in the set. But then as the band warmed up, they got into the groove. Well, they have 40 years of experience, so no wonder they can sound so great. I really enjoyed most of their set, especially Eighties, Death and Resurrection Show and Requiem. Unfortunately Warsaw was the first time they dropped Follow The Leaders, which I had planned to record.
The crowd was very into it. I noticed before that Poles
really appreciate good music (unlike other Slavs) and that always translates
into a great concert-going experience. There were surprisingly many women, some
of them unaccompanied. But one couple stood out the most. They had two little
girls with them, and the youngest must have been around 4 or 5. She was
frequently put on her father's shoulders, and it did not look like she was
enjoying the experience. She had this look of total bewilderment and would
close her ears from time to time. After the end of the concert, the stage
worker handed her the setlist, but, frankly, little kids should not be at
concerts like this.
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