According to the online free dictionary a cross is "An upright post with a transverse piece near the top, on which condemned persons were executed in ancient times." However, it is most often associated with the word "crucifix" which is the "representation of the cross on which Jesus died." The cross has been around for thousands of years and although it's been used for different purposes no one has ever thought of re-appropriating it. It's a sacred and ancient symbol, so who would ever dare to use it as the logo for their band? Well, apparently, two french guys from Paris didn't see any problem with this and they've turned it into one of the most recognizable images in the electronic music scene.Now, some of you are probably wondering how Justice came up with the idea to adopt such a universal symbol as their band's logo. Gaspard explained to Mojo that: "It came from a very simple idea [they] had when [they] did Waters of Nazareth, which was to compare the energy you can have in a church, the kind of mystical vibe of it, and the energy you can find in a club. Everybody is gathering together and focusing at the same point." Indeed, the concert hall can be seen as the young generation's church. Since the vast majority of teenagers don't believe in God and don't go to church, they found another holy sanctuary in the music venue. Similarly to a church, it's a place where we gather to experience and share a spiritual moment (in this case: loud distorted music mixed with blood, sweat and tears) with our religious leaders (in this case: Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé). In other words, concert halls are where modern day teenagers go to "pray".
One just has to look at the pictures from Justice's live shows to understand how such a comparison can be made. These photographs usually comprise the band's signature bright white cross on a stage with thousands of music fans directing their hands towards it, as if they were experiencing some sort of divine moment. An image like this could easily be captured during a church service. Followers often raise their hands towards the heavens, or the crucifix, to praise the Lord. When you subtract the music from the equation, Justice's live show seems more like a religious meet than a music concert. Justice feels that the visual concept is just as important as the music and it's for this reason that they have put so much effort into adopting the † as their logo.
Justice has completely re-appropriated the cross by incorporating this symbol, and other religious references, into almost all of their music and imagery. When the band's name is written on albums and other promotional material it is often written using a font that is, in my opinion, reminiscent of stained glass windows found in churches. Whether you agree with this comparison or not it is definitely a religion inspired font. In addition, The "t" in "Justice" is transformed into a cross that is bigger than the other letters and it is right in the middle of the band's name, making it even more noticeable. During their live sets, the duo are somewhat hidden atop a white cross that flashes on and off with marshall amps stacked up on either side, making the cross the focal point of their live performances. Instead of the devil horn hand sign that is common at most rock concerts, Justice has created its own cross arm sign (if you've been to one of their concerts, you know what I'm talking about). The cross is associated with them to such an extent that, one day, when I was wearing a cross necklace, a friend at school asked if I had bought it at one of their concerts. Due to the consistent use of this religious imagery, Justice's † logo has become as recognizable as Nike's swoosh logo, in the electronic music world.
Religious themes can also be found throughout the band's debut album. First off, the album packaging doesn't have a name written anywhere on it, it simply has a 3-D drawing of the † logo (although, obviously, most people called it the Cross album). The cd itself is all black with a small black † on the edge of the actual disc. When fans open up the special edition † cd, it unfolds into a cross shape. The two opening track titles on the album are Genesis (which refers to the book of Genesis, the first book of the Torah) and Let there be light (which is taken from the opening lines of the book of Genesis). There's another track on the album, which was also their debut single, called Waters of Nazareth (referencing Jesus' childhood home). Musically, this track includes organ samples, which is an instrument predominantly used during church services. To ensure that this association is not missed, the artwork on the cover of the single cd for this track depicts a giant sized organ with Justice's name written in their signature "religious" font over top. These references make the † symbol almost inescapable and further solidify its place as the band's defining logo.
They continued using the religious theme in their documentary A Cross the Universe. The opening quote of the DVD is taken from the book of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said "Let there be light!" and there was light." The documentary then immediately cuts to an image of the Justice cross lighting up the entire venue during their live show, as if they were our generation's musical saviours. This further reinforces the link between the energy at their live shows and the energy that can be found during a church service.
The band members themselves play up the religious theme. Gaspard kind of looks like Jesus with his long hair and handlebar moustache. Xavier said in an interview that they considered putting a picture of him on the inside of the cross shaped fold out packaging that can be found in the special edition cd. Gaspard also wears a big silver cross around his neck. This cross is kissed by both band members, at the same time, before every concert. Xavier usually has a smaller cross necklace around his neck too and in an interview with Pitchfork he said that the last great book he read was the bible. In addition, both band members have cross tattoos on their bodies which is something that many of their music disciples have decided to imitate. The fact that fans are willing to permanently ink themselves with Justice's cross shows how powerful this logo has become. Justice (along with their followers) eat, sleep and breathe the cross.
By re-appropriating the cross as their logo, Justice has switched the context in which this symbol can be found, from a religious one to a musical one. They were the first to have the idea to use this symbol in a new way. No one ever thought of associating this ancient and sacred symbol with an electronic music band. It was probably seen by many to be untouchable and that's what makes this re-appropriation so brilliant. The Justice cross and the Christian cross have the same meaning, one of communion. They are being used in different contexts but the overall message remains the same and can be universally understood. This made it easier for Justice to adopt the cross as their logo, since music fans didn't have to figure out a new meaning for this symbol. The underlying message of the cross makes just as much sense in a concert hall as it does in a church. It's this clarity and simplicity that allowed for the re-appropriation of the cross to be so easily accepted. One could say that Justice successfully created a new religious movement. And I say "Amen" to that.
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