Nearly 39 years ago in Stockport, four young kids from the local area assembled one of alternative-rock's most iconic albums for Manchester's fledgling Factory Records at Strawberry Studios. With the assistance of producer and self-confessed sound-geek Martin Hannett, 1979's beautiful, eerie and unsettling Unknown Pleasures set a musical benchmark for a generation of budding young artists and bands and soundtracked a northern city that looked exactly as this record sounded.
Nowadays, Joy Division's legacy is repeatedly tapped into - dark-wave bands across the UK and Europe regularly rinse riffs and ideas from the band's debut and it's funereal follow-up Closer while every two-bit clothing company churns out cheap variants of Peter Saville's 'pulsar' artwork used on Unkown Pleasures, itself borrowed from a third party.
Tonight, Camden's stunning Roundhouse venue was chosen for Hook's last 2017 show and, for the capital at least, he and his charges delivered something of a rapturous exclusive. By now, regulars to these shows should be used to Peter Hook and the Light performing the support slot as well as the main event and tonight was no exception. New Order's Movement was fittingly wheeled out in its entirety and sounded punchier and grittier than when I first heard it performed back in 2013 at Manchester Cathedral. Senses, Denial and ICB were particulary visceral and heralded the sound of things to come for the rest of the show.
And what a show!
The first Joy Division section might well have been dedicated to second-album Closer but No Love Lost kicked things off and immediately became one of the many mosh-pit favourites of the night. Ah yes, the pit. Lots of flailing arms, writhing bodies and some sage nodding from young and old accompanied the likes of Isolation, A Means To An End and a triumphant Colony were given a serious toeing, in particular by on-point drummer Paul Kehoe (he's certainly a Morris contender). There really were tears in their eyes when the second JD portion fizzled into life with Digital, Disorder, Insight and Wilderness all becoming out-and-out rock 'n' roll belters, but for me it was Shadowplay that just edged them all - a spellbinding rendition.
There were a few gaffs - Day of the Lords had to be rebooted by the band after Hook understandably lost his way. For a moment or two, the affable bassist seemed genuinely in awe at the crowd's reception and naturally they took the piss when he fluffed his lines.
The encore was even more special. Mark Lanegan did his fanboy thing and sang his lungs up on Atmosphere and Dead Souls before Transmission, Ceremony and Love Will Tear Us Apart sent a happy slightly buzzy crowd back out into the cold. Next time, you really will have to be there.
10/10
(Pic: twitter.com/peterhook )