Mancunian icon Peter Hook recently swung by DC to play songs of New Order and Joy Division at 9:30 Club. It was a welcome return to 9:30 Club for Hooky, who performed there a few times in 2010 and 2011 in the early days of touring with his band Peter Hook & The Light.
Those early 9:30 Club appearances focused on revisiting the albums of Joy Division, but this time around, Hooky and his band dug into the greatest hits of both rock innovators Joy Division and the successor dance band New Order, playing through the tracklisting of the Substance compilation albums for both bands.
When Peter Hook & The Light tour North America, they don’t always hit DC, and I always suspected that was because the band wouldn’t sell out quickly here as they did in other USA markets. That has changed in recent years, however, and Hooky and company very quickly sold out the 9:30 Club for their Sept. 1 date when tickets went on sale earlier this year! The capacity crowd was really into both sets of music — first New Order and then Joy Division — and Hooky’s powerful bass kept everyone grooving through more than 2.5 solid hours of music.
As the band took the stage, Hooky expressed his gratitude for the crowd and cheered the hot reunion of fellow Mancs Oasis. Peter Hook & The Light launched their 9:30 Club show with a few New Order songs outside of Substance, presenting a trio of “In a Lonely Place,” “Mesh,” and “Procession.”
Hooky often sang in a low roar that paired well with his expansive bass sound. A ripple of excitement shot through the audience when he opened the Substance songs with “Ceremony,” and he continued through highlights including “Blue Monday,” “Thieves Like Us,” “Shellshock,” “True Faith,” and others.
Watch Peter Hook & The Light perform “Ceremony” live in Macclesfield on YouTube in 2015 via YouTube:
The Light, Hooky’s backing band, included his mates from Monaco, his ’90s New Order side project: Paul Kehoe (drums) and David Potts (guitar). Potts sang along with Hooky on a few New Order songs for those that particularly benefited from the familiar higher register of Barney Sumner. The Light also included keyboardist Martin Rebelski (known for his work with Doves) and bassist Paul Duffy of The Choral (thank you for the ID, Hooky!). Hooky’s son Jack Bates usually plays live in the band, but he’s currently touring with The Smashing Pumpkins, who also are crossing North America this month.
After a brief intermission, Peter Hook & The Light returned for a four-song intro to their Joy Division set: “Komakino,” “Wilderness,” “From Safety to Where…?,” and “Glass.”
The quintet then rocked through Substance by Joy Division, playing loose and joyfully through highlights such as “Transmission,” “She’s Lost Control,” “Dead Souls,” “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and more…
Watch Peter Hook & The Light perform “She’s Lost Control” live in Manchester in 2022 via YouTube:
I’ve seen Peter Hook & The Light roughly half a dozen times, and they really have become into their own as a wonderful working group of dedicated musicians who do justice to Hooky’s music. My girlfriend saw Hooky live for the first time on Sept. 1, and she had nothing but compliments for him, finding his singing to be very representative of the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis and his delivery of the songs. Joy Division is her all-time favorite band, and she loved seeing Hooky live as much as, if not more than, I did!
Although people were packed closely in 9:30 Club, there was a tremendous feeling of community and camaraderie, and people were truly there to soak up their favorite Joy Division and New Order tunes.
Catch Peter Hook & The Light live near you!
Here are some photos of Peter Hook and The Light performing at 9:30 Club on Sept. 1, 2024. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
