Bad Lieutenant Revisit Past at London Show

Posted on Mar 19th 2010 7:30AM by Julian Marszalek
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The undisclosed feud between singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook may have put an end to New Order, but both parties are happy to revisit their past. While Hook is applying his efforts to running a nightclub once more in the shape of Manchester's latest venue, FAC 251, Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris and guitarist Phil Cunningham have formed Bad Lieutenant.

Bringing their show to London's Electric Ballroom on Thursday (March 18), the band gleefully swan dived into their rich history to add a sizeable chunk of Joy Division and New Order classics to the latest material they're currently promoting.

So it was that 'Ceremony,' 'Regret' and 'Crystal' sat happily next to newer cuts such as 'Sink Or Swim' but it was the band's detours into Sumner's extracurricular activities that really raised the eyebrows. Electronic -- the side project formed by Sumner with erstwhile Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr -- were revisited in the form of 'Tighten Up,' while 'Out Of Control,' Sumner's collaboration with the Chemical Brothers, segued into the perennial favourite, 'Temptation.'

And while 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' was greeted like the old friend that it is, it became increasingly difficult not to pine for Hook's distinctive and idiosyncratic baselines. However, until Hook and Sumner settle their differences, Bad Lieutenant prove to be an able, if less substantial, substitute.