Review: Peter Hook and the Light (The Brook, 18th March)

Photo: Seekernews.co.uk

I arrived at the Brook early, not knowing what to expect, questions raced around my mind about the reasons for this tour – these questions have now been laid to rest, and I hope that this review will answer those questions for you too.

We began as strands of people in four different corners of a room until slowly but surely the venue hit full capacity, and we found ourselves stood as one movement. The barriers of age mean nothing to a true fan because the ideas that the music conveys transcends generations. We are the unrepresented youth, and Joy Division is our saviour.

As we were cast into darkness, our focal point was directed by the multitude of lights towards the area everyone was already fixated upon, a football chorus of ‘Hooky!’ roared around the room as a mob of forty-somethings yelled passive-aggressively towards the man with the bass guitar.

Hooky then squatted slightly, lowering the bass to his knees and introduced us to the world he had helped to create. I’ve always had a slight reservation when it comes to people singing Joy Division songs, generally because I’ve never witnessed a cover where the singer hasn’t attempted to don Ian’s trademark baritone and this gig was no different. What was different was the quality of Hooky’s voice; it soared miles above any cover I’ve ever heard.

Photo: manchestereveningnews.co.uk

This raised another question within me, “can it be classed as a cover or a tribute band when one of the original members is playing it?” to begin with I thought the obvious answer was a yes. Looking back at the gig over the last couple of days though, I’m left entirely uncertain and this is why - Peter Hook embodies what Joy Division is, as do the other members, and therefore in my mind, he isn’t just covering their songs – he is Joy Division.

The other members, the Light, were absolutely fantastic in their own fields. The drummer and keyboardist kept everything nicely held together whilst keeping the crowd entertained in between songs by keeping the beat going continuously as if you were listening to the albums on iTunes with seamless playback.

The bassist was also incredible though perhaps not in commanding the stage, but it was his job to keep the bass rolling whilst Hook was singing – he did his job too well at one point and broke a string. It was in this moment that my mind about Peter Hook was made, in an instant he took his bass off and passed it to the other bassist whilst the roadies were restringing it, joking afterwards “I feel naked without this thing, I take it to bed with me.”

The guitarist though was by far the superior musical being on stage, not only did he play the songs perfectly, he also commanded the stage in such a way that it felt that he truly believed the songs and it was because of this that it felt to me that he was making the songs his own.

The magic of the music is that Joy Division alienates each and every one of us. It does not invite us to sit down and have a cup of tea with it but through this isolation, we are left with the knowledge that there are millions that feel the same as we do. Though we may never become friends with each other or perhaps even acknowledge each other but it allows us to know we are not alone.

The Brook, 466 Portswood Rd, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD. For more information and upcoming gigs visit: http://www.the-brook.com

Ed Neal

Film/Music Editor