I went with my brother and sister in law to see Peter Hook (Joy Division and New Order bassist) perform all the songs off Joy Division's first album, Unknown Pleasures. Unknown Pleasures came out in June 1979, less than 12 months before lead singer Ian Curtis comitted suicide. It is an amazing album and while the performance was incredible, it felt a little bit weird and kind of not right. Sort of awkward.
Saying that, hearing the album live was a treat, and for an encore they played Love Will Tear Us Apart. I didn't record that, because that will be my memory, thank you very much. But I've uploaded Digital just for you.
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Yes, I wouldn't have missed the show for quids and couldn't fault the musicianship, but it just lacked a certain passion overall. It wasn't completely missing passion, the performance of Shadowplay in the middlish bit was a high point and there's no way they could have followed up with anything after Love Will Tear Us Apart, no matter how many people were calling for another encore.
ReplyDeleteBut weird and kind of not right sums it up pretty well. Maybe it's missing not just Ian Curtis, but the other two still alive former members of Joy Division. (Yes, I know they're not talking to each other. Again.) And certainly, as we three were chatting after the show, Hooky is much more engaging as a bass player than front man.
Still, seems we were quite privileged in Sydney because we got two more songs than the Melbourne show (in the encore we got the extra two tracks from the first JD EP). In fact, I was quite surprised that not only did they play all of Unknown Pleasures, but they played both tracks from A Factory Sample and all four tracks from their first (pre-Factory) EP.
Hmm. That's probably enough music geekery for now.