Al Jourgensen finally made peace with the past. After the incredible reception to Ministry’s With Sympathy and Twitch-heavy set at Cruel World 2024, Jourgensen decided to reexamine his dormant synthpop hits and give them a fresh polish 40 years later. The result was The Squirrely Years Revisited, a new album that resurfaced these songs via Cleopatra Records.
The Squirrely Years Tour recently landed at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia, and Ben Eisendrath was there to photograph the show.
This article is adapted from a press release.
At Franklin Music Hall on May 13, Ministry offered reworked versions of cult classic hits like “Everyday Is Halloween,” “Work for Love,” “I’m Not An Effigy,” and “I’ll Do Anything For You.” These songs originally appeared on With Sympathy (1983) and Twitch (1986) and also Twelve Inch Singles (1981–1984) (1987) and Trax Box! (2015), collecting early recordings from Wax Trax! Records.
“Since I hated my early stuff for decades, I decided to take ownership of it and do it right,” Jourgensen said.
Watch the official music video for “Every Day Is Halloween (Squirrely Version)” by Ministry on YouTube:
To celebrate the album and the new-old era of Ministry, the band — also including John Bechdel (keyboards), Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto (guitars), Pepe Clarke Magaña (drums), and Paul D’Amour (bass) — embarked on The Squirrely Years Tour with a set dominated by Jourgensen’s earliest works. Opening support came from Ministry’s old-school comrades, including My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Die Krupps.
In 2026, Ministry plans a final new studio album, a record that has Jourgensen teaming up with Paul Barker once again.
Here are some photos of Ministry performing live at Franklin Music Hall on May 13, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Ben Eisendrath.
Here are some photos of Die Kupps performing live at Franklin Music Hall on May 13, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Ben Eisendrath.
Here are some photos of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult performing live at Franklin Music Hall on May 13, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Ben Eisendrath.
