Peter Hook And The Light at The Albert Hall on Saturday night was a tale of three sets and a gig of two halves. Advertised as coming on stage at 8pm and opening with a short set of Joy Division songs the place was filled to burst downstairs from the way Hooky and the band took the stage. The Joy Division set was short and sweet, Hooky's voice more than doing justice to the songs and he didn't pull his punches. They started with Atmosphere and then played She's Lost Control and gave us a marvellous, growly rendition of Heart And Soul. A spirited run through Love Will Tear Us Apart closed this section, the audience joining in and taking over on the chorus.
Peter Hook clearly loves doing this, he's a part of the fabric of this place, a quarter of it's most musically adventurous group, a huge contributor to the story of Manchester since 1977. Between 1978 and 1989 his band travelled further, and through more difficult situations, than most groups do. He's got a band that can play the songs well and the audience love him. The breakdown in relations between him and his former band mates is just part of the story now. The benefit for us is we get to see the songs played by one of the people that wrote them in smallish, atmospheric venues.
Off for ten minutes and then reappearing for part two the drum machine kicks into life and we're into Fine Time. From that point on the whole place is jumping as a thousand middle aged New Order fans live out what is one of New Order's peaks and their last truly great record, 1989's Technique. It's not quite a smooth and sleek as the album, which is to be expected- live music should carry a rougher edge, and Hooky's voice isn't always in exactly the right key being a very different instrument from Barney's. But there's so much to enjoy here as Technique gets played in order- All The Way, Love Less and Round And Round flying by, summoning up the summer of 89, a summer the vast majority of the audience lived through. The Spanish disco stylings of Mr Disco are sublime, filled here with the attack of two guitars, at times two basses, full drums, drum machine, samples. Vanishing Point- one of the best New Order songs not not have been a single lifts the roof of this old Methodist chapel further. Dream Attack. Boom.
Then a strange thing happens. They retire briefly and come back to play 1993's Republic, every song, in order. You can't go wrong with Regret and the three that follow are all decent New Order songs- World, Ruined In A Day and a pumped up Spooky. But after that the crowd visibly and audibly slumps and all that energy evaporates as Peter persists in the purity of finishing side 1 and then giving us all of side 2. I kind of admire the purity angle but Republic was a record made at gun point, trying to bring some cash in for an ailing record label. No one seems to have enjoyed making it or the circumstances surrounding it. Some of the songs I haven't heard for a quarter of a century and I'll be honest I didn't recognise them and couldn't name them- Liar, Chemical, Times Change, Special and Avalanche apparently.
So it's a relief when it's over and the eruption of enthusiasm and the fervour that greets the encore sends everyone home happy, delighted, singing in the streets outside. World In Motion, not everyone's cup of tea, but it gets the crowd singing along and then three complete crowdpleasers- Blue Monday, Temptation and True Faith. Temptation is especially well received, a song we've all danced to, loved to, lived to for decades. We've all sung 'I never seen anyone quite like you before' and meant it.
Mr Disco
