Dead Perch Come Calling
I really thought I’d reached the end of my KLF Khronicles.
Seven weeks, a dozen entries, over 20,000 words. Apparently that’s longer than some Masters dissertations — and certainly the most I’ve ever written about anything in my life. I was ready to slap a “with honours” sticker on my Graduation and call it done.
I was hoping…
— REFLECTION INTERRUPTED —
6th November 2017
It was always my plan to drag out one last reflection piece, neatly timed for the first(-ish) Toxteth Day of the Dead on November 23rd. Three months on from Welcome To The Dark Ages, it felt right.
But of course, The JAMs weren’t about to let me have it that easy. Too neat, too obvious. Instead, today we’re dragged clapping and grinning straight back into the Dark Ages with a typically cryptic teaser (scroll to the very bottom of this article if you dare).
So — looks like we’ll be seeing each other again sooner than expected. Possibly to commit the highly criminal act of torching The Shard before bunking up as conspiratorial cellmates. Who knows?
Here’s the thing: many of us already had November 23rd marked for our own little rituals, meetups, and reunions. We were ready. It had become a holy day — or at least a new holier day.
So yes, part of me wants to rant about being yanked around by The JAMs. We’ve got our own shit to be getting on with now, thank you very much. Did they really think we’d all still be sitting around waiting for instructions?
The teaser raises questions: How will this relate to August’s events? Will it at all? Are we really going to burn the Shard? Am I about to get another tattoo? Will I ever actually be free of this?
I have to believe this wasn’t originally planned. Three weeks’ notice is fine to clear a single day, but not a whole weekend — and if they’d had this in mind back in August, a wink and nudge would have slipped through the grapevine. The 400 is a village. Nothing stays secret for long.
So, why now? Two possibilities:
1. Over-success. They were so taken by August’s madness they couldn’t resist continuing.
2. Under-success. Maybe Liverpool didn’t cause the wider splash they hoped for, so they’re going after London’s attention.
Either way, they can’t just play Liverpool twice. No one wants to repeat the same gig to the same people. London makes sense — more coverage, a bigger pool of participants, and the added allure of a free one-day event. The tentative who balked at £100 now get their way in.
A flashing neon sign comes from an interview with the Dead Perch Merch Team over at the excellent WelcomeToTheDarkAges.com:
“There is more in the pipeline, but nothing will be reissued… This will all be launched in true JAMs style before Christmas, so everyone needs to keep a keen ear to the ground.”
And:
“The ‘one more item’ will involve a piece of vinyl (no, it’s not music!), a new screen print poster, a download (no, it’s not music!), and some more needless packaging.”
Sound familiar? True JAMs style. Before Christmas. Delivered straight from the Dead Perch Nation.
Which means this isn’t just another random stunt. It’s product launch, part two. They could have dumped it online and watched us gobble it up — but no. Instead, they’re throwing another event. Which tells me one thing:
Welcome To The Dark Ages worked.
Worked well enough they knew they could run it again. Small enough to keep it sharp. Big enough to draw a crowd. And cheeky enough to make us all run headlong into it again.
And here we are. Another sea of Badger Kull t-shirts, only this time in London.
The reflection can wait. I’ll add whatever comes next to it. If it ever ends.
So much for this being the last one.