Peter Hook commands your attention at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia on April 26, 2018. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)
It may be that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts — but in the case of great bands like Joy Division and New Order, each individual part has a distinct character that is irreplicable. Such is certainly the case with Peter Hook, storied bassist for both of those seminal bands. And although Peter fell out with his bandmates in New Order, he thankfully continues to perform their songs — songs with which he left an indelible mark on modern music — with his band The Light.
Peter Hook & The Light kicked off a North American tour at Union Transfer in Philadelphia on Thursday, and our Jason Nicholson was along for the ride to shoot some pictures.
Peter Hook performs at The Howard Theatre in DC on Nov. 23, 2016. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)
Peter Hook, former bassist for New Order and Joy Division, is once again touring the “greatest hits” of both bands with a special tour featuring Peter Hook & The Light performing the Substance compilation albums from each. Peter Hook & The Light launch the 2018 Substance Tour on April 26 at Union Transfer in Philadelphia.
Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey (right) of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
The brilliant Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) released The Punishment of Luxury, their 13th studio album, on Sept. 1 via 100% Records subsidiary White Noise. The album fared very well commercially, hitting #4 on the UK Albums chart as well as #7 on the US Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
I had the genuine pleasure of again chatting with Andy McCluskey, vocalist, bassist, keyboardist, and songwriter for OMD, as the band will launch a North American Tour with a performance at 9:30 Club on March 6, 2018. (It’s not officially announced by 9:30 Club yet, but buy your tickets online here.)
In our chat, Andy provides insights into songs on The Punishment of Luxury, shares his feelings on recent work by Gary Numan and New Order, and reveals artists (with some surprises) with whom OMD would like to collaborate (particularly as they approach their 40th anniversary as a band).
I babbled a bit more than usual because he’s a personal hero, and as such my interview covered a lot of ground. I’ve edited the order of the questions to improve their logical flow and trimmed them where necessary for brevity. (Also, perhaps read our previous Parklife DC interview with Andy McCluskey from May 2016.)
Blake Miller of Moving Units is taking his L.A. dance-punk band on the road with a very specific concept. On their current tour, Moving Units present the songs of Joy Division, and they will pay homage to the legendary post-punk Mancunians with a stop at DC9 on Wednesday, March 1.
Peter Hook performs at the Howard Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 23. (Photo by Paivi)
Peter Hook, former bassist for Joy Division and New Order, is willing to bet that we are not soon to forget that he contributed significantly to the sound of both bands. If Hooky were a gambling man, this gambit paid off well for him indeed, as he wrapped up a successful US tour of tracks found on the Substance compilations by both bands — a tour where many stops sold out and a local visit to the Howard Theatre last Wednesday drew a very full house indeed.
Parklife DC is giving away five pairs of tickets to see Peter Hook and The Light live in DC during our next party — Careless Memories at Dodge City on Thursday! (Check it out on Facebook.) We are going to celebrate the bassist of Joy Division and New Order by playing a lot of music from both of his bands.
But for the sake of argument, let’s say maybe you cannot make it out to Dodge City (917 U St. NW, DC) on Thursday (although the next day is a federal holiday)! What might you do then? Go winless while one of Manchester’s favorite sons brings those awesomely splendid basslines to the Howard Theatre, where Peter Hook and The Light play on Nov. 23?
Well, love may tear us apart, but tickets will bring us together! In case you really cannot make it out on Thursday, we will give away a pair of tickets to see Peter Hook and The Light perform the songs of Joy Division and New Order right here on this blog.
Parklife DC is giving away a pair of tickets to see Peter Hook and The Light. To win, simply leave a comment on this blog. You can leave any comment but we would like to know your favorite song by New Order or Joy Division. (Hey, I’m also going to use your responses to inspire my playlist at Dodge City on Thursday at 8pm. Come out to hear the songs.)
For the rules of this giveaway–
Comments will be closed at 8pm on Thursday, Nov. 10, and then we’re all going to Careless Memories at Dodge City, where we will give away five more pairs of tickets in person! For this drawing, a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours, or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner. We will email you instructions on claiming your ticket. Good luck!
Peter Hook commands your attention at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia on April 26, 2018. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)
