Brit Punks Killing Joke Ascend From Seattle’s Capitol Hill After Openers Czar Levitate Packed Crowd, By Holly Homan

Just because it’s a Tuesday night doesn’t mean Seattle’s night life slows down. The last day of April and Neumos on Seattle’s eclectic Capitol Hill is hosting London punks Killing Joke.

Front man Jeremy (Jaz) Coleman came out looking like a cross between Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper with heavy black eyeliner, thick black hair and acting like a mad man complete with unique facial contortions. He worked the packed-like-sardines audience with prowess.

Throughout his performance Jaz expressed his disgust with corporations running our governments, organized religion and nuclear power plants spilling radiation into our oceans. At one point, when mentioning religion and Jesus, and people who are born again, he asked the audience, “does anyone really believe in all that?” A few yelled out, “I do,” to which Jaz shook his head and uttered, “Krikey!” before diving into another hard edged punk song.

When he talked with the audience again, he asked how glad everyone was that that cunt Romney lost the election. Several cheers emanated and Jaz continued joking about Romney wearing magic underwear before announcing a song as one “I’m sure you all know” and belting out their biggest hit, “Eighties.” At this point I began getting pushed closer and closer to the stage as everyone moshed about. I should have been flatter than a proverbial pancake by the end of the night, but, alas, it didn’t happen.

Jaz pranced and darted about the stage like an electrocuted chicken and continually made crazed facial expressions. He was fascinating to watch.

Meanwhile drummer Paul Ferguson slammed the skins with a frenzied vengeance, bassist Matthew Glover banged out bass chords and guitarist Kevin Walker served as the driving power along with keyboardist Reza Udhin (who looked almost too cute to be in the band). Not including the encore, Killing Joke played for an hour and a half and seemed amused and touched at the overwhelming response of adoration spewing from this crowd.

The audience was a good mix of twenty somethings up to people in their fifties. Killing Joke were on hiatus for quite some time (I saw them once in 1982), but they haven’t been forgotten. Killing Joke epitomize the punk ethos and this was one fun show.

The evening was opened by Chicago’s Czar. This trio packs a ferocious punch of raw, grungy energy. They look grungy (as punk rockers should). I loved hearing them play, but the vocals were screamo, which I just don’t see the point of. If you have a message you want the masses to hear, why not utter it coherently?

As I scanned the club and studied the gathering throngs, it was obvious those in attendance liked Czar. Over all, they were fun to watch.

– Holly Homan