M'Lou Elkins 
Peter Hook and The Light at Concorde 2, Brighton UK, 7th April 2022
Crowd Critics Fan Review by Sharon Taylor
Pics © Sharon Taylor
As with most tours over the last couple of years, this one had been delayed, the band had done some festivals last year but couldn’t wait to get back to touring, and the fans couldn’t wait to see them on stage again including myself.
Peter Hook, or Hooky as he’s known to his fans, was the founding member and bassist of Joy Division and New Order, two very influential bands of their genre. To be in one is amazing but to be in two influential bands is pretty impressive. His melodic playing style is very distinctive as is his low-slung stance on stage.
In 2010, after a much-publicized rift with New Order after he’d left, Hooky formed The Light. It’d been 30 years since the passing of Ian Curtis and Hooky wanted to do something to commemorate that and also Joy Division’s material, particularly Closer, which had hardly been played live. He was persuaded to be the vocalist after he couldn’t get anyone else to do it.
He’s working his way through all the albums he was involved in but when he does Unknown Pleasures and Closer it’s on another level, just sublime. This tour is Joy Division: A Celebration, doing the two Joy Division albums plus an opening set of New Order. What’s not to like?
First night of the UK tour was at Concorde 2 in Brighton, right on the seafront, with a capacity of 600 and was sold out. A classic Victorian building, originally used as a tea room in the 1800’s.
I’m on the barrier and dead excited. I last saw them in 2019, it’s been too long. To be at the barrier for a Hooky and The Light gig you have to have a bladder of steel as their sets are usually just short of 3 hours with no support band.
So what is going to be in the New Order set?
Lights go down and a stool is placed centre stage, OMG he’s going to play “Elegia,” a gorgeous track that just gives you goosebumps, and is not often played. This was followed with other early tracks of “Procession,” “Dreams Never End,” “ICB,” “Leave Me Alone,” “Age of Consent” and “Your Silent Face.” All showing off Hooky’s melodic bass playing, and this was only the first set of 3. He may be 66 but he doesn’t do things by halves. The New Order set changes from gig to gig.
Hooky has a second bass player on stage as he doesn’t sing and play at the same time. Usually it’s his son, Jack Bates, but he’s off on a tour with the Smashing Pumpkins. He’s been covered this time by Paul Duffy from The Coral.
He did a great job, you could see he was a bit nervous and was concentrating so much on what he was doing. It was interesting watching him take cues from the others. Like Hooky, he played the four and six-string basses. On drums is Paul Kehoe. Martin Rebelski on keyboards and laptop, and David Potts on guitar and backing vocals.
Hooky’s vocals were great and you can’t beat hearing those early bass lines. What I love about seeing Hooky is that you can see he loves what he’s doing, he has a lot of passion for it and it shows. When he’s playing he comes to the front of the stage and you get a masterclass in bass playing and if you’re lucky you may get a cheeky grin from him.
The band has a few minute’s break and after the intro of Kraftwerk’s “Trans Europe Express” they’re back on stage for Unknown Pleasures playing each track in the order of the original vinyl. “She’s Lost Control” gets the crowd going. “New Dawn Fades” is a particular favourite of mine and as soon as I hear the intro I get goosebumps.
After another short break they were back on for Closer. As with the first, all killer no filler. “Decades” is amazing live, David Potts’ guitar playing at the end is brilliant, such a wonderful instrumental. I never tire of hearing it live. Hooky goes off for a break while the band finish “Decades,” before the encore.
They come back on for the encore and Hooky mentions the recent sad loss of his friend Mark Lanegan, who was due to join them on the tour, and they play “Atmosphere.” This is followed by “Transmission” which gets the crowd going once again and builds up into a crescendo with “Ceremony,” with its piercing bass line, and “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”
Joking, Hooky wondered if his heart was going to give out and we all wondered where the hell he got his stamina from. They came on at 8pm and finished about 10.45pm. Peter Hook and The Light never disappoint, you can see they’re giving it their all and enjoying it at the same time. Just a brilliant live band.
I can’t wait for the London and Manchester gigs.
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