As he first suggested in an interview with Slicing Up Eyeballs last year, Peter Hook will perform Joy Division’s third and final album, 1981’s Still, at two concerts in Manchester this May, playing both the first disc’s collection of rarities and outtakes, and then recreating the band’s final concert as included on the second disc.
The concerts are set for May 18 — the anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death — and May 19 at Hook’s club, The Factory, in Manchester. The bassist used that anniversary in recent years to also debut his performances of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and Closer, each of which he has now performed around the world with his band, The Light.
Tickets for the Still gigs go on sale noon Friday, and the shows benefit Manchester mental health charity Mind as well as Forever Manchester, a charity that supports community based initiatives.
In announcing the concerts, Hook said:
“It’s somewhat bittersweet since I honestly wish there were more to go really but I am very happy that now with Still I will have played every Joy Division song ever written, again. I am delighted that The Light are performing Joy Division’s final release in what seems set to be the final Light/Joy Division gigs in Manchester and I’m looking forward to a couple of great concerts so finish up the trilogy properly.”
In that interview with Slicing Up Eyeballs last year, Hook speculated about performing Still, then, perhaps jokingly, suggested he’d move on beyond that: “Maybe I will do Still to say goodbye to it, then go on to New Order and annoy Bernard even more.” While there hasn’t been any suggestion he’ll move on to New Order albums, The Light has been performing some of that band’s material at recent gigs, including Movement tracks “Dreams Never End,” “Doubts Even Here” and “The Him.”
Peter Hook and The Light tour dates:
March 2: Milk Club, Moscow, Russia (Unknown Pleasures)
March 3: Kosmonavt Club, St. Petersburg, Russia (Unknown Pleasures)
March 5: Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland (Closer)
March 6: Debaser, Stockholm, Sweden (Unknown Pleasures)
March 7: John Dee, Oslo, Norway (Closer)
March 30: Auditorio de la Diputacion, Malaga, Spain (Unknown Pleasures)
April 12: Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Australia (Closer)
April 13: Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia (Closer)
April 14: Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia (Closer)
April 16: HQ Theatre, Adelaide, Australia (Closer)
April 18: Bodega, Wellington, New Zealand (Unknown Pleasures)
April 19: Bodega, Wellington, New Zealand (Closer)
April 20: Studio, Auckland, New Zealand (Closer)
April 28: Hacienda Japan, Osio, Japan (Unknown Pleasures)
April 29: Hacienda Japan, Osio, Japan (Closer)
May 18: The Factory, Manchester, UK (Still)
May 19: The Factory, Manchester, UK (Still)
May 25: O2 Academy, Liverpool, UK (Unknown Pleasures)
May 26: Oran Moor, Glasgow, UK (Unknown Pleasures)
May 27: Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK (Unknown Pleasures)
May 29: Leadmill, Sheffield, UK (Unknown Pleasures)
May 30: O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK (Unknown Pleasures)
June 1: O2 Academy Islington, London, UK (Closer)
May 2: O2 Academy, Oxford, UK (Unknown Pleasures)
May 8: O2 Acadmey, Dublin, Ireland (Closer)
May 9: Spring & Airbrake, Belfast, Ireland (Unknown Pleasures)
Sept. 8: NCN 7, Lepzig, Germany (TBA)
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- New Order adds Sydney, Melbourne headlining dates to Australian tour
- Kraftwerk joins New Order on first day of Miami’s Ultra Music Festival in March
- Video: New Order reunites in Brussels with Gillian Gilbert, without Peter Hook (setlist)
- Peter Hook: ‘New Order without Peter Hook is like Queen without Freddie Mercury’
- Q&A: Peter Hook on bringing Joy Division’s ‘Closer’ to U.S.; may perform ‘Still’ next
- New Order to reunite — without Peter Hook — for October concerts in Paris, Brussels
- Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division
Fucking seriously??!
I agree. He has a lot of nerve doing what he’s doing.
Last I checked, these were songs he co-wrote and performed on the original albums. I have no problem with a musician going onstage to perform his music.
Methinks you people are being a bit too precious about this. This may come as some shock to you but Ian is still dead. New Order have routinely performed Joy Division songs without any of you bleeding to death about it.
My advice, get over it and let the guy earn a living without your nonsensical perspective clouding the issue. No one’s compelling you to got to these shows which, apparently, so offend your all-too-delicate sensibilities.
Agree. A million and one people can cover Joy Division (NIN, Moby, and Killers come to mind immediately) and no one complains. At least let one of the original gang cover songs he helped. It’s not like he’s billing himself as Joy Division.
What a joke. Hooky, you continue to destroy a legacy. If you cant get along with Barney, then its time to retire.
LET LOST SIRENS OUT, YA F#@&!!
Plus one for Sam. Destroy a legacy? JD, send your parents to the movies and blast STILL on their stereo all night and dream you’re there!
If you listen to Joy Division & New Order the only constant between them is Peter Hook’s bass playing. He is to bass what Johnny Marr is to guitar. He is the only member of Joy Division & New Order that could successfully recreate the sound of both groups without the other members involved.
Oh, dear… And the Pink Floyd-ian-ness of it all simply continues. Peter, there is a reason plenty of New Order fans are miffed with you at the moment. Why? You’re doing a Roger Waters – quit band, sue ex-members for daring to reconvene and continue under the old name, perform very early works under your own name and then complain about the fact that the parent band still has people willing to follow it in your absence… Dave Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright seemed to get on perfectly fine as Pink Floyd without Roger. Bernard Sumner, Steve Morris, Phil Cunningham and Gill Gilbert will get on perfectly fine as New Order without Hooky.
I wouldn’t mind quite so much of Hook’s inability to move forward in his life and create his own music if he’d stop “singing” these songs in concert. He and his band sound great. As soon as he opens his mouth to sing it all goes into the shitter. Unbearable and unlistenable.