Watch the full video of K.K.’s Priest, featuring ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, at Bloodstock 2023

KK Downing onstage in 2023
(Image credit: Elsie Roymans/Getty Images)

K.K.’s Priest, the new heavy metal supergroup of ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, have released footage of their full, 70-minute performance at Bloodstock festival in August.

The band, also featuring former Judas Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens, played a 13-song set that includes originals from their two albums as well as a number of covers. The full setlist is available below.

Downing was Judas Priest’s guitarist from 1970 to 2011, before leaving the band due to what he described as “an ongoing breakdown in working relationships between myself, elements of the band and management for some time”. He founded K.K.’s Priest in 2020 and has released two albums with the band: 2021’s Sermons Of The Sinner and 2023’s The Sinner Rides Again.

Downing spoke about the differences between K.K.’s Priest and Judas Priest in a 2023 Metal Hammer interview.

“I can call the shots! Ha ha!” the guitarist said.

“I’m not looking to do anything particularly different because with my heritage, my legacy and everything that I am, a leopard can’t change his spots. I just want to continue doing what I’ve always done. We got the Judas Priest brand up to a place where it can never be overthrown – it’s etched in stone. So yeah, I’ve got a mountain to climb, but as long as I enjoy it, and the music and performances are strong, there’s no reason why the two bands can’t coexist happily, like an old married couple!” 

Hammer journalist Chris Chantler gave The Sinner Rides Again a four-star review in September.

“This hungry septuagenarian shows the whippersnappers how it’s done, his fingers setting fire to the frets of his Flying V,” Chantler wrote, later concluding: “K.K.’s not trying to reinvent the steel, but he’s certainly ramping up the challenge for his estranged ex-bandmates.”

K.K.’s Priest Bloodstock festival 2023 setlist

Hellfire Thunderbolt
One More Shot At Glory
The Ripper
(Judas Priest cover)
Reap The Whirlwind
Night Crawler
(Judas Priest cover)
Sermons Of The Sinner
Burn In Hell
(Judas Priest cover)
Beyond The Realms Of Death
(Judas Priest cover)
Hell Patrol
(Judas Priest cover)
Brothers Of The Road
The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Breaking The Law
(Judas Priest cover)
Victim Of Changes
(Judas Priest cover)

Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.