Peter Hook & The Light JOY DIVISION  - Unknown Pleasures Tour

Joy Division, Sheffield Leadmill, Sheffield.

I dug out all my old vinyl the other week. I'd collected every 12" Joy Division and early New Order had to offer. All still in reasonable condition too, except for my copy of 'Still' which has the seams to one side coming open. Tucked inside the copy of 'Love Will....' was a copy of the NME which in those days used to be a newspaper format. The copy was the one that heralded the change of the band shortly after they had decided to carry on following Curtis' sad demise.

So, after the enormity of the New Order gig at the Apollo I find myself at the other end of the scale. The Leadmill is a medium sized affair with lots of nooks and crannies and bars dotted all over the building. The big thing I noticed as soon as I got myself comfy was that it was HOT. Jeepers was it hot. The security chap in the pit informed me that they'd only just turned the fans on!

Going back to the New Order thing, again I found myself wondering exactly where the sound and experience was going to take me. Just one member of the original line up? What were the rest going to deliver? Who was singing lead in the absence of Curtis? Had to be Hooky?

A quick mention to the support, Section 25, who unleashed a fantastic set of total dancability on the already expanding audience. Great renditions of 'Dirty Disco' and 'Girls Don't Count' along with the contents of the new EP 'Invicta' out soon.

The place was filling up, now with a mass of white on black Unknown Pleasures' pulsar wave t shirts and various other Joy Division memorabilia.

Just after nine the members of 'The Light' filtered on to the stage backed up by the man himself. Track by track they ran through the whole of Unknown Pleasures. Once again I got my 3 tracks worth and made my way to the back of the room to enjoy the sound coming from the narrow stage, Hooky himself singing lead. By the time we'd got to She's Lost Control and Shadowplay we had forgot the fact that it wasn't actually the original cast because quite honestly it sounded that good. It was still raw and young but a little more refined if you can understand that? You just had to shut your eyes for a couple of seconds. So many years have passed but not a second forgot. Me personally? For about an hour I couldn't have given a monkeys where I was or who I was with. I'd got myself lost in the captivating delivery. I came around slightly when they went off for the encore. I don't know about you but it doesn't usually bother me when they do that? But this time it did. Only because they'd allowed my subconscious to rejoin the reality. Not to worry though. They then came out for another 9 tracks and another encore and 'Unknown Pleasures' was done.

Bring on 'Control'!

After putting my vinyl back where it came from I nestled myself into the sofa and picked up the shiny black 12" with the cutting inside and began to read. I can't believe I'd kept this.

Exercise One, No Love Lost, Leaders of Men, Glass, Digital, Disorder, Day of Lords, Candidate, Insight, New dawn Fades, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay, Wilderness, Interzone, I Remember Nothing, Atrocity Exhibition, Isolation, 24 Hours, Eternal, Decades, The Sound of Music, The only Mistake, Transmission, Love Will Tear us Apart.

 DG