Saturday 30 December 2017

1,065 PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT, Salisbury City Hall, Friday 8th December 2017


With a glorious Sunday evening Joy Division/ New Order retrospective set, Peter Hook And The Light snared my Band Of The Weekend award at the last minute, at November’s “Shiine On Festival. Pretty much a given, then, that I'd attempt to track down tix for his subsequent tour shortly thereafter, where a run-through of both of Hooky’s seminal bands' singles-plus-rarities collections (both entitled “Substance”!) was on the cards. I therefore hooked (!) tix for myself and Rach for what purported to be an extended version of the Shiiine On celebration of both of these massively influential bands - the raw, terse and morose, yet occasionally uplifting post-punk of Joy Division, and the pioneering indie/ synth dance maelstrom of New Order - also initially persuading Logan to join us. However, a tough week at school took its toll and he cried off at the last minute, making it an impromptu date night for me and the missus!

Double babysitting duties for grandma, then, so we headed off after her arrival, for a circumspect cross-country journey in the freezing cold, hitting the venue at 20 to 8. Not a huge attendance for tonight’s gig, though, with the main hall being set up with temporary tiered seating at the back. Took a good viewing spot on the floor, stage right, running into Peej, Ben and his son Kieran just before the lights dimmed at 1/4 past 8 and orchestral trumpeting backing music greeted Hooky and the band onstage. Resplendent in a bright red Brian Jones t-shirt, he grumbled a greeting to the front rows ("it's like you lot have been really naughty!") then took his usual Johnny Ramone-like low-slung, legs apart bass pose, as the band eased in with a couple of embryonic New Order numbers, all growling guitar and tumbling, militaristic drums, before the expected chronological New Order singles set run-through. An early "Ceremony" was excellent, tough and tremulous, but despite the sound being clear and well-balanced throughout (a troubled "Procession" notwithstanding, Hooky constantly urging the sound guys to actually turn it down during this number), the band rarely scaled the stratospheric heights of that Shiine Onshowing during this initial set. "Temptation", superbly guitar-heavy and singalong, came close; the extended instrumental mid-section and powerful, pulsating outro of "Perfect Kiss" came closer; otherwise it felt like a performance by rote, fine and enjoyable and all, but all a little restrained, as if Hooky was pacing himself over his long evening's work. Also, with the reliance on pre-programmed synth overlays and tracks, it also often felt as if the majority of the 6-piece band were standing around for chunks of time waiting for their individual cues, rather than playing as a band! A surprising "1963" rounded off the first 90 minute set, at which point Hooky, visibly blowing by this point, led the band off for a well-earned break. 

And back on, barely 5 minutes later, for the Joy Division set! Quick break then! Immediately, however, this felt darker and more dynamic and dramatic, relying considerably less on the synth and pre-programmed beats, and more on a conventional band line-up, so the entire band appeared engaged in the performance. "No Love Lost" was a dark, growling beast drawn from 70’s NYC proto-punk, "Passover" creepy and pseudo-goth, and "Candidate" bleak, morose and claustrophobic, recalling the edgy fear of those late 70’s/ early 80's Cold War times. "These Days", with its wobbly rhythm and one-note staccato guitar work, was tremendous, clearly the sound that launched a thousand Interpol songs, but this was topped by a fantastic and committed mid-set double-whammy of "Transmission" and the eerie, whip-crack beat of "She's Lost Control". A similarly haunting, elegiac "Atmosphere" was dedicated by Hook to, "Ian Curtis, God rest his soul," the rendition sparkling, spine-tingling and genuinely affecting, and for me the best thing on show tonight. Almost - almost - topped by the subsequent set closer, the inevitable and all-inclusive classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart", Hooky roaring the song to its conclusion before throwing the Brian Jones t-shirt into the crowd and taking a bow.


Overall then a great night - capped by a quick bit of face time with the man himself plus his drummer (who complimented my Chameleons t-shirt), both signing my hard-earned set-list! Another circumspect drive home in increasingly slippery conditions, following another episode in the Peter Hook odyssey. Long may it continue!


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