Sad news I just read.
Posted: 23 Oct 2007, 10:12
by John_R
Sorry to be the bringer of bad tidings, but bass guitarist Paul Raven has passed away.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7056986.stm
Posted: 23 Oct 2007, 12:16
by Dave the Fish
Very sad, the good die young.
Best wishes to his family.
Posted: 23 Oct 2007, 13:57
by steve
Had some great times with that guy.
Steve P.D.
Posted: 23 Oct 2007, 17:18
by Red Sunsets
Stunned
Posted: 17 Nov 2007, 18:59
by Matt W
Posted: 09 Jan 2008, 01:26
by SadBast
Raven was rather a cool customer.
It was at a joint Killing Joke / Play Dead gig when I first spoke to him, (a very cold Glasgow on Killing Joke's 'Firedances' Tour). That afternoon's soundcheck, with Raven and Big Paul improvising to Dominator, joined a few minutes later by the firestorm that was Geordie's twin stack of Burman amplifiers was perhaps my most exciting musical memory from those days. I 'slept' (tried to avoid the wind) in a George Square doorway before catching the first bus back to Edinburgh next day...
Funny how I would end up going round the UK photographing various KJ / Murder Inc / Damage Manual line-ups in the early / mid 90's with Raven as my main 'facilitator' (at least on those occasions when he was playing - lol). If there was something making life difficult for me and my co-travellers Raven would be the one to spot it and (as often as not) fix it.
He did me the same favour on the last times we met, when I was again photographing Killing Joke at two nights of '25th anniversary' celebrations inside the Shepherds Bush Empire in February 2005.
He'll be missed, he and his music will be remembered.
Talking Killing Joke, I wonder how many followers of PD will be aware of Youth's current live bands 'Vertical Smile' and 'Transmission'
In particular I have seen / promoted a number of Vertical Smile shows in London over the past 18 months. An exciting outfit!
Youth recently wrote to me saying that Vertical Smile have now finished recording their first ep, I guess material from that will be previewed at another 'below the horizon' show they are headlining (but not advertising) on Saturday 26th January.
It's at a night called 'decasia' in a venue called The Macbeth, 70 Hoxton Street, Shoreditch... and there isn't a weak band on the bill. Billy Trivial in particular is a name for the future.
(samples of all acts' music and links to their sites are all found here: - - - - )
Youth continued to say he has completed producing a new album in New York for The Cult (Astbury & Duffy) in addition to Transmission having completed the sessions for their second album (Transmission includes Youth and Big Paul - this new album has a vocalist, their first didn't). Finally, click on the photo below to link to a recent interview with Youth about VS