Peter Hook & The Light at The Academy | Review

Peter Hook & The Light in The Academy on November 22nd 2013

Approaching Peter Hook & The Light is a difficult proposition. The former New Order bassist’s current tour involves playing New Order’s first two albums in their entirety. While New Order still exist. It’s a confusing situation, and it’s difficult to see Peter Hook & The Light as anything other than a glorified tribute act. Whatever about touring Joy Division’s work, touring New Order’s albums merely because he can’t get on with the band does seem strange. However, we head to tonight’s show with an open mind.

Hooky supports himself with the Joy Division tribute act Slaves Of Venus. Hook provides a passable imitation of Curtis’ distinctive baritone and the overall sound is satisfyingly rugged, as the powerful rhythm section is topped with the piercing lead guitar. The late Ian Curtis’ poetically ferocious lyrics shine through as the most striking feature of Joy Division’s sound and thankfully Hook delivers the vocals with enough emotional velocity to justify the dark heartfelt lyrics, particularly on Atrocity Exhibition. For many this is the closest we’ll get to seeing Joy Division live, and it certainly is a spectacle. Hook rewards the early pundits, of which there are many, to the extended version of She’s Lost Control, a treat for all involved.

The Light return to the stage for the main event; the complete run through of New Order’s first two albums ‘Movement’ and ‘Power, Corruption and Lies.’ The band kick off with the irresistible Ceremony, a truly delightful performance that sees Hook tackle the higher vocals of Bernard Sumner. Sumner’s range is very similar to Hook’s, and Hook is much more comfortable singing New Order tracks. The bass riff interweaves with the guitar section ever so gloriously, and Hook teases out the outro, much to the delight of the crowd. The actual content of ‘Movement’ is a bit hit and miss however. Here was a band that was struggling to make their sound work without the huge presence of Ian Curtis. The lyrics are tame in comparison to Joy Division’s lines of art, and a song like Senses just doesn’t hold the same atmospheric power as Joy Division tracks. But there are still gems such as Dreams Never End and certainly this part of the set is far from boring, merely a dip in comparison to the rest of the show.

‘Power, Corruption and Lies’ is a different story. Here we see New Order as they start to discover themselves. The electronic styles that they had flirted with in ‘Movement’ come to the fore on tracks such as Age Of Consent. Anchored by a gloriously catchy bass riff, and skillfully worked beats that combine both electro and acoustic drums, this was the start of New Order’s golden era, and ushers in the best part of tonight’s set. The upbeat tunes glide blissfully over the crowd’s ears, and the audience roars in appreciation. The band’s stage presence is somewhat questionable though; much of the synths are played on a backing track, and the band members are often left standing around listlessly doing nothing. Hook’s presence all night in particular is quite bizarre, he clutches his bass throughout the show, but he only tends to play during the showy parts. The rest of the time the instrument hangs limply at his side as he sings. This obvious hiding behind his bass shows Hook is not a natural frontman, but after three years of touring with The Light he exudes enough charisma to get away with it.

As we hit the home straight, The Light break out all the big hits. We are treated to Temptation, True Faith and Blue Monday and these drive the crowd wild as they scream the lyrics back joyously. A powerful rendition of Love Will Tear Us Apart, complete with an extended sing-a-long, closes the set. Nothing Hook plays tonight is less than 25 years old, and this leaves the impression that this is a man trying to relive his glory days. However, the gig does serve as a live history book; allowing the audience to witness the development of New Order’s sound, from the days of Joy Division to the peak of New Order’s success. Analyse Peter Hook whatever way you want, but he can still put on one hell of a good show, packed full with amazing tunes, and ultimately isn’t that all we want?