MINISTRY + LIGHT OF ETERNITY @ BRIXTON, LONDON

Support came from Killing Joke drummer Big Paul Ferguson’s band, Light of Eternity, which he formed with Chaos 8’s Pauly Williams (guitar) and his former Crush bandmate Fred Schreck (bass, vocals), following the untimely passing of his bandmate Geordie Walker in 2023. Sounding in the vein of his former band with the same metal edged thundering drums, LOE injected much needed post-punk into the lineup with 12 songs form their EP releases such as ‘Aftershock’, the dark explorative ‘Nebula’ and the guttural gothic monastics of ‘Edge of Fate’, the latter seeing Ferguson on alternating vocals with Shreck while he took up the drumming spectacle centrepiece with his sophisticated, alternating drumming methods.

Headliners Ministry came back to the UK after six years following the release earlier this year of their new compilation album, ‘The Squirrely Years’, promoting its release ahead of their final new-material studio album due out early next year. They launched into the abrasive ominousness of ‘Thieves’, also playing other classic tracks from their back catalogue during their set such as the chugging chant of ‘Lie Lies Lies’ and the repetitive dig of ‘Goddamn White Trash’, all songs peppered with samples and interjecting rhythms of heavy industrial metal with frontman Al Jourgenson grabbing his crotch in the latter as he did in the official music video.

After performing newer track ‘Alert Level’, heavily sampled with writhing guitar, the band arrived at the stomp of ‘Stigmata’ with Jorgensen singing radio vocals and then donning a guitar for the entranced ‘N.W.O.’, an endless treadmill with each member animating their part on stage. They finished their main set on 1991 single, ‘Jesus Built my Hotroad’, with Jougensen’s jittery popcorn singing style. Ministry returned for an encore of three songs performed as ‘The Squirrely Years’ versions: ‘We Believe’, ‘Effigy (I’m Not an)’ and ‘Revenge’, tracks that were originally released on their earliest albums – ‘Twitch’ and ‘With Sympathy’ respectively. Whilst the band’s sound is still powerful, it did seem at times like a dampened down version of its former self and the short set was rushed through quite mechanically despite the explosive elements of each band member’s live performance that it makes sense they’re pulling the plug after the next album.

11/08/25: Ministry + Light of Eternity @ Brixton, London.