Geordie Walker, Killing Joke guitarist, dead at 64
Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker, the guitarist and a founding member of the post-punk outfit Killing Joke, has died at the age of 64. Walker passed away having suffered a stroke on November 26th, 2023.
Confirming the news of Walker’s death on Sunday, Killing Joke wrote on social media: “It is with extreme sadness we confirm that at 6:30am on 26th November 2023 in Prague, Killing Joke’s legendary guitarist Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker passed away after suffering a stroke, he was surrounded by family”.
The statement added: “We are devastated. Rest In Peace brother.”
Luca Signorelli, Walker’s longtime friend, was the first to break the news in a lengthy Facebook post. He reflected: “It was impossible not to get along with him. He was charming, polite, and very funny. The language barrier was not a problem–through a lot of impromptu translation and some laborious sign language, Geordie could make himself understood anywhere and anytime.”
Walker was the only constant member of Killing Joke alongside frontman Jaz Coleman. Born in 1958, Walker moved from Newcastle to Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, when he was 14. It was there that he earned his nickname ‘Geordie’.
It was in the south of England that he learned to play guitar. Reflecting on his career, Walker told Music UK in 1984: “I used to run home from school at about four, lock myself in the bedroom, turn the amp up full, and thrash it till he [his dad] came in. It was a daily ritual.”
In 1979, Walker joined Killing Joke after responding to an advert in Melody Maker. It read: “Want to be part of the Killing Joke? We mean it man. Total exploitation, total publicity, total anonymity. Bass and lead wanted.”
With his distinctive de-tuned style of playing, Walker would go on to enjoy many iconic moments with the band, including genre staples such as ‘Love Like Blood’ and ‘Eighties’, the latter of which Nirvana were accused of ripping off with ‘Come As You Are’. By favouring melody over extended solos, Walker’s deeply post-punk attitude would be widely impactful. Prominent acts such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Nine Inch Nails have all cited Walker and Killing Joke as influences.
As a member of Killing Joke, Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker recorded and released 15 studio albums. It started with their eponymous debut in 1980, and the most recent was 2015’s Pylon. The group released their first material for seven years in March 2022, the EP Lord of Chaos.
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