As someone who missed the all-too brief live career of Joy Division, and didn't really start listening to their two landmark albums "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer" and until sailing towards the South Atlantic with the Task Force back in 1982 where their doom-laden songs provided a suitably grim soundtrack to what was about to happen, Peter Hook & The Light's performance of both albums at Holmfirth Picturedrome provided a golden opportunity to demonstrate just what I missed. The show was a warm up ahead of a short string of Russian dates and the idea was just the latest in Hook's generous take on the back catalogue of both Joy Division and New Order that have seen him performing the albums in full, and often sequentially, as was the case at the Picturedrome.
It could be argued that taking such an iconic back catalogue as Joy Division's two studio albums and performing them in full, was a risky undertaking, even given Hook's unique credentials for the task. As things turned out there was no need to worry. Taking to the stage in front of a backdrop of the debut album's iconic "pulsar" artwork and Bernard Pierre Wolff's tomb shot from "Closer" the band kicked off with three standalone tracks, "Dead Souls", "Digital" and "Glass", the latter augmented by vocals from Crispy Ambulance's Alan Hempsall. Introducing Hempsall, Hook explained that at Joy Division's infamous riot marred 1980 Derby Hall gig in Bury when Ian Curtis was taken ill, it was Hempsall that had stood in for Curtis. Hempsall would also later guest on both "Disorder" and "Transmission". The other guest vocalist during the evening was Rowetta who performed on "Insight", "New Dawn Fades", "Colony" and a brooding "Atmosphere" during the encore.
It has to be said that Hook's vocals, while not mimicing those of Curtis, were eerily well suited to the material. Dressed in a black "I Am The Sound" t-shirt and with the rest of the band happy to adopt low-key anonymous roles, this was a no nonsense performance with the band on stage for over two hours apart from a very brief break between the end of the "Pleasures" and start of the "Closer" performances, and the encores. Indeed, the band over ran and with the curfew imminent, Hook offered the audience a dreadful choice - did we want "Love Will Tear Us Apart" or "Temptation" as the final song? The responses to the respective cheers were weighed, and "Temptation" got the nod. Not my choice, but admittedly, it did prove a fine way to close the show.
The support came from Huddersfield based Kelter, a four piece garage band who apparently stepped in at short notice and did a fine job with their line in Buzzcocks-like short, post-punk pop songs.
All in all, this was a hugely enjoyable performance and one that has me hoping to catch the "Movement" / "Power, Corruption & Lies" performance at Buxton later this year. Also, a special mention to the Picturedrome which again proved to be an excellent venue, offering great views, a reasonably priced bar, and good, sensible security staff. They deserve to go from strength to strength.
The Picturedrome @
- Holmfirth @
- 15/04/2013 @
Favourite moment: Double encore whammy of Atmosphere and Transmission. @
Setlist: Dead Souls, Digital, Glass, Disorder, Day Of The Lords, Candidate, Insight, New Dawn Fades, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay, Wilderness, Interzone, I Remember Nothing, Atrocity Exhibition, Isolation, Passover, Colony, A Means To An End, Heart And Soul, Twenty Four Hours, The Eternal, Decades, Atmosphere, Transmission, Temptation. @
Opening act(s): Kelter @