WORDS AND IMAGES BY PAUL EVANS
“This one’s for Ian, Rest in Peace” announces Peter as the band return for the last time, “This is Dead Souls” he finishes,
There’s been a strong musical connection between Manchester and Liverpool for a long time. The newly named Joy Division played some of their first gigs out of Manchester at Eric’s and played the Zoo meets Factory Halfway festival in 1979 alongside OMD, The Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen. Funnily enough, I’m sure Will Sergeant from the Bunnymen is in the crowd tonight. So, it’s very apt that Peter Hook takes to the stage at the 02 Academy in Liverpool wearing a Manchester NHS t-shirt with the addition of “Liverpool and” scrawled in pen to reaffirm the connection and support of these two great cities.
It’s just the one band tonight, although technically I guess it’s two. As part of their ‘Joy Division: A Celebration Tour’ Peter Hook and the Light are playing both ‘Unknown Pleasures’ and ‘Closer’ in their entirety with an opening set of New Order songs thrown in for good measure. Songs from two undisputed landmark albums and further songs from one of the most important British bands of the last 50 years. Do setlists get any better?
From the moment the house lights dim and Peter walks onstage, he’s both engaging and focussed. “My wife’s sent me an Easter egg” he says happily pointing to an egg on an amp. “Give us a bit Hooky” yells someone from the crowd. “Fuuuck offffff” jokingly comes the reply before the band begin “In a Lonely Place”. The slow drum rolls, sweeping chords, synthesised keyboard phrases, frictional inclining basslines and Melodica beautifully executed in the electric blue lights. It’s a desolate, ominous, chilling opening which continues with the experimental guitar, vanishing electronic blips and rolling drums of “ICB”. Another early New Order song entrenched in the memory of Ian and perfectly played. Peter’s vocals on both tracks haunting, gravelly and reminiscent of Ian. I turn around and the crowd is heaving, but hardly moving, spellbound. “Can you turn the lights up. I can’t see my fretting fingers. It’s fuckin hard enough as it is” he jokingly asks breaking the crowd’s spell.
The tempo increases with “Dreams Never End” as it merges train-like drums, undulating bass and frantic lead guitar. All highlighted perfectly by Peter’s emotive vocals. The atmospheric layers of synth on “Procession” make me close my eyes as I let them darkly wash over me I feel the crowd begin to move behind me. “Your Silent Face” with it’s beautiful arpeggiating sequencers, hauntingly melodic bass and note-perfect melodica playing is both warm and chilling.
Peter is sharing bass duties tonight, both bass players regularly swapping from four to six string basses and trading bass runs. It can’t be easy to not play parts of songs you’ve been playing for 40 years and sing, but the interplay couldn’t be better. Peter’s expression is one of a performer truly in his element. Having the extra bassist allows him to dynamically move around the stage and during the anthemic and regal “Temptation” he plays right in front of me and stares down my lens. The songs combination of soaring chattering keyboard, entangled bass and gracefully falling guitars has the crowd bouncing and singing along to “Up, down, turn around, please don’t let me hit the ground”, “Oh, you’ve got green eyes” and “Oh, it’s the last time” before it soars to its closure and the end of the first set.
The blue lights return to the stage and the crowd full of Joy Division T-shirts return from the bar. It’s not just middle-aged t-shirt wearing fans, younger fans who’ve listened to their parents or maybe grandparents record collections are here too. As they should be.
Unknown Pleasures and Closer are played in their entirety, the band solid and the songs timeless. The albums an unquestionable milestone of alternative music. Peter himself has said Unknown Pleasures lacked the power the band thought they wanted at the time. Maybe it’s why the songs leap from the speakers tonight with an aggressive punk attitude not evident on record. “Disorder” hisses with anxiety and claustrophobia, its cold, rapid-fire drums and tight, muffled guitar offset by gravelly flawless vocals. “She’s Lost Control” is hectic and terse, the drums are feverish, the bass swaggering on the edge of the stage. “Interzone’ is raucous and along with “Temptation” is the best song of the night so far. “Isolation” is almost cheerful until Peter delivers the words. “Heart and Soul” is stark, the stammering beat and melodic bass knit and coil together perfectly. Heart-wrenching versions of “The Eternal” and “Decades” slow the pace, Peter’s textured voice perfect and sounding very close to Ian’s as he sings, the crowd cheering and clapping above their heads.
Peter is controlled between songs, choosing to crash into the next track rather than produce small talk. During the lead-up to vocal lines he bounces on his feet, chest out, reminiscent of a boxer about to go into the ring and during bass less and vocal less segments he sometimes seems lost in thought. Memories of the past perhaps. it’s obvious that these songs still mean a great deal to him.
“This one’s for Ian, Rest in Peace” announces Peter as the band return for the last time, “This is Dead Souls” he finishes, the band producing a wall of sound which detonates into its gigantic climax. Its unmistakable thundering bass introduces “Transmission” and the crowd sing “Dance, dance, dance to the radio” as they jump up and down, the song blowing them a few feet further back from the stage. “Ceremony” blowing them even further away, its driving 2-note bassline, chattering cymbals and distorted chords surging the song towards its majestic end. Peter prowling the stage and playing in his iconic stance as the crowd jump up and down singing “Heaven knows, it’s got to be this time”. The new best song of the night. Hell, it’s one of the best songs ever recorded and it’s played tonight like it’s never been played before.
There’s only one song to end the set, the inscription on Ian’s memorial stone. A song created in an afternoon by four mates. “Love will tear us apart” is majestic. Not even a technical difficulty could dampen the crowd as they pushed forward, hands stabbing the air, singing those immortal seven words at the top of their voices. It’s an astounding end to an astounding gig. Two and a half hours of the best music you’ll probably hear and the legacy and memory of the man with the white teardrop Vox alive so proudly and gracefully being kept alive. Dreams Never End.
SET LIST
1/ In a Lonely Place
2/ ICB
3/ Dreams Never End
4/ Procession
5/ Your Silent Face
6/ TemptationUnknown Pleasures
7/ Disorder
8/ Day of the Lords
9/ Candidate
10/ Insight
11/ New Dawn Fades
12/ She’s Lost Control
13/ Shadowplay
14/ Wilderness
15/ Interzone
16/ I Remember NothingCloser
17/ Atrocity Exhibition
18/ Isolation
19/ Passover
20/ Colony
21/ A Means to an End
22/ Heart and Soul
23/ Twenty-Four Hours
24/ The Eternal
25/ DecadesEncore:
26/ Dead Souls
27/ Transmission
28/ Ceremony
29/ Love Will Tear Us Apart
FOLLOW PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT
I’ve loved music since forever. Graphic designer, photographer and artist at painted.papillon.smile (www.ppsdesign.co.uk)
