UNKNOWN PLEASURES 18.05.10
I went to only my third ever gig last night, to FAC251 The Factory Club to see Peter Hook’s band, The Light, play a tribute to Ian Curtis on the 30th anniversary of the Joy Division singer’s death. Blimey it was hot! Packed to capacity in the ground floor performance space, I was amongst mainly middle-aged folk, but there was also a healthy smattering of cool young dudes too. I know now why I don’t do gigs like this. It’s hard to enjoy the music when your eardrums are being blasted and sweat is streaming down your face. Plus you can’t get to the bar because there’s a wall of flesh surrounding you.
Before I saw the show, I took the opportunity to visit the Curtis exhibition that was being held on the top floor of the club. Appropriately, in the old boardroom of Tony Wilson’s legendary Factory Records. Here was everything the Joy Division devotee could wish for; Producer Martin Hannett’s various recording gadgets, some of the band’s old guitars, song sheets, and, hauntingly, the sound booth that Curtis recorded several tracks in. In the darkened room, with its bare brick walls, the empty booth stood like a wood and glass coffin, with the abandoned headphones and microphone exhibited like holy relics; the tools of a departed genius’ trade.
The gig’s support act was a big, bald, middle-aged guy called Kevin (I didn’t catch his surname) who played a few folkie type songs on his guitar. He told us he’d been with Factory records, and had supported Joy Division and New Order. He was pretty good, but terribly modest and virtually apologizing for being on stage. Have more faith in your talents, Kevin!
Peter Hook has been criticized by some people for putting on this event. There have been accusations of cashing in on his ex bandmate’s memory in order to promote the Factory Club (which he co-owns) and his new band, Freebass. What utter tosh! Hook was IN Joy Division. The Factory Club was the HQ of their record label, and what do you expect the man to do? Nothing? It was plain from the emotion in his voice and on his face throughout the set, that this evening meant a lot to him. I expected a bit of an opening speech, but no; not from ‘Hooky’. Actions spoke louder than words, as the band went straight into several early, punk era JD songs with Hook thrashing away like the old days. ‘At A Later Date’, ‘Digital’, and ‘Glass’ were played with fury, and the audience were in heaven. Before launching into the entire ‘Unknown Pleasures’ (Joy Division's 1979 debut album) , Hook told us he wasn’t going to say much, and that we knew why we were here. Then, with a trembling voice, said ‘I’m just trying to remember my friend’s beautiful words’. The NME interviewed him later where he admitted it was a bit of an effort memorizing Curtis’ lyrics, and that it gave him renewed insight into just how much the young man had worked on crafting them (Curtis was only 23 when he hanged himself in 1980). The band was joined on stage for two songs, ‘Insight’ and ‘New Dawn Fades’ by Happy Mondays singer, Rowetta, and for the encore, ‘Transmission’ by A Certain Ratios’s Simon Topping. A second encore saw the band ending the night with Joy Division’s only commercial hit single, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. A tremendous night, and a fabulous decision by Hooky to go ahead and stick two proverbial fingers up at his critics.
I went to only my third ever gig last night, to FAC251 The Factory Club to see Peter Hook’s band, The Light, play a tribute to Ian Curtis on the 30th anniversary of the Joy Division singer’s death. Blimey it was hot! Packed to capacity in the ground floor performance space, I was amongst mainly middle-aged folk, but there was also a healthy smattering of cool young dudes too. I know now why I don’t do gigs like this. It’s hard to enjoy the music when your eardrums are being blasted and sweat is streaming down your face. Plus you can’t get to the bar because there’s a wall of flesh surrounding you.
Before I saw the show, I took the opportunity to visit the Curtis exhibition that was being held on the top floor of the club. Appropriately, in the old boardroom of Tony Wilson’s legendary Factory Records. Here was everything the Joy Division devotee could wish for; Producer Martin Hannett’s various recording gadgets, some of the band’s old guitars, song sheets, and, hauntingly, the sound booth that Curtis recorded several tracks in. In the darkened room, with its bare brick walls, the empty booth stood like a wood and glass coffin, with the abandoned headphones and microphone exhibited like holy relics; the tools of a departed genius’ trade.
The gig’s support act was a big, bald, middle-aged guy called Kevin (I didn’t catch his surname) who played a few folkie type songs on his guitar. He told us he’d been with Factory records, and had supported Joy Division and New Order. He was pretty good, but terribly modest and virtually apologizing for being on stage. Have more faith in your talents, Kevin!
Peter Hook has been criticized by some people for putting on this event. There have been accusations of cashing in on his ex bandmate’s memory in order to promote the Factory Club (which he co-owns) and his new band, Freebass. What utter tosh! Hook was IN Joy Division. The Factory Club was the HQ of their record label, and what do you expect the man to do? Nothing? It was plain from the emotion in his voice and on his face throughout the set, that this evening meant a lot to him. I expected a bit of an opening speech, but no; not from ‘Hooky’. Actions spoke louder than words, as the band went straight into several early, punk era JD songs with Hook thrashing away like the old days. ‘At A Later Date’, ‘Digital’, and ‘Glass’ were played with fury, and the audience were in heaven. Before launching into the entire ‘Unknown Pleasures’ (Joy Division's 1979 debut album) , Hook told us he wasn’t going to say much, and that we knew why we were here. Then, with a trembling voice, said ‘I’m just trying to remember my friend’s beautiful words’. The NME interviewed him later where he admitted it was a bit of an effort memorizing Curtis’ lyrics, and that it gave him renewed insight into just how much the young man had worked on crafting them (Curtis was only 23 when he hanged himself in 1980). The band was joined on stage for two songs, ‘Insight’ and ‘New Dawn Fades’ by Happy Mondays singer, Rowetta, and for the encore, ‘Transmission’ by A Certain Ratios’s Simon Topping. A second encore saw the band ending the night with Joy Division’s only commercial hit single, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. A tremendous night, and a fabulous decision by Hooky to go ahead and stick two proverbial fingers up at his critics.
By the way, whilst having a drink in a local pub before the gig, I saw Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins in Canal Street. A living legend, and another fine example of a true individual and tortured genius. Hats off to the uniqueness of the human spirit, in all its forms!
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