Chris GirsbeckWalking into the theater that night, I am smothered by the smell of bodies that pack this intimate theater. Two bars run the length of both walls and guide your eyes to the stage. Doors opened at 7 and by 8 pm the pints of drafts and shots of whiskey special has woken up this mixed aged crowd. With no opening act we are purposely left to entertain ourselves and to wonder what’s in store for us from the man who helped create legendary music with Joy Division and New Order. It is at this perfect point that the big screen affixed to the front of the stage presented its purpose as it filled the floor with the blueish glow of a movie theater.
As the movie began with the screeching and low groaning of the signature sound of Joy Division‘s “Exercise One”, we are shown images of the late Ian Curtis and reminded that it has been 30 years since his suicide. We are brought through a time line of pictures showing Peter Hook (Hooky) singing and playing bass along side his late friend and band mate. We are shown images from the recent film adaptation of the Joy Division story titled Control and the Factory Records based film 24 Hour Party People. The crowd cheered as the film went through different images and songs spanning the time line of Joy Division, New Order and Hooky’s more recent project The Light. Ending on the album cover for Closer, Joy Division‘s final studio album, and the chosen medium for tonight’s performance.
As the film and its blue shadow over the crowd clicked off, leaving darkness in it’s place, the opening drums to the song “Atrocity Exhibition” filled the theater and stayed pretty true to the album’s mystique. As the song progressed, green lights flood the stage in strands, allowing our eyes to adjust we are given our first chance at seeing Hooky and The Light. Wearing an English Flag with the words Joy Division printed beneath, a brick red bass slung over his solders, he raises his hand to the sky and the words “for their entertainment they watch his body twist” take on a new meaning as Hooky sings from an honest place rather than trying to channel the late Ian Curtis. In fact as the song sonically melds into “Isolation”, Hooky and The Light are able to maintain the downbeat tempo while mixing in the more punk rock Buzzcock type infused sound reminiscent of the Unknown Pleasures album. The night continues through mixing beautifully melancholy anthems that drone like “Passover” to the more popular encores of “Love Will Tear us Apart” and New Order’s “Blue Monday”.
After seeing Hooky, as he is lovingly called by fans, tear through the album Closer, a album that was released only after the death of its lead singer; an album bore with a shadow for years; it’s refreshing to see it live on stage. I’ve seen many Joy Division cover’s, like The Killer’s version of “shadowplay” and the Joy Division studied styling of Interpol, but Peter Hook & The Light brought to life an album of darkness, with heart, dignity and I would hope this isn’t our last chance to see this reincarnation of Joy Division.
[...] able to score tickets to the September 13th performance in New York City (see the excellent review here), and even managed to grab a few minutes to speak with Peter to talk about the future of his new [...]