There have been few bands as influential as Joy Division. That is not by any means an understatement. Having two bio-pics (24 Hour Party People and Anton Corbijn’s Control) about their existence and ultimately tragic end with the loss of frontman Ian Curtis and countless books, tributes and the like have shown the depth of their influence on music and culture since. It was not the end for the surviving members of Joy Division, who re-branded themselves as New Order and took the world & charts by storm, with a long and memorable career. Bass pioneer and founding member Peter Hook has brought the world another glimpse of the long lost yet never forgotten Joy Division when he took up with The Light and has been bringing a few, but very precious dates performing both Unknown Pleasures and Closer.
One cannot stress enough how far the reach of Joy Division has been on so much music since, the return of post punk in NY in the early 2000s seemed directly correlated with how much bands could sound like Ian Curtis. Peter Hook having sung vocals with Ian makes for among the only people who could do justice to their legacy have been there and back. His bass sound is among the most recognizable in the world and for good reason. For anyone lucky enough to be in a city (or travel 1470 miles to go like these intrepid journalists…), it is a show experience of a lifetime. Go see Peter Hook and The Light perform Unknown Pleasures and Closer. You couldn’t see a more exciting tour this year.
US / Canada / Mexico tour dates: