Peter Hook Gives Chicago a 'Warm Glow' With Joy Division Classics

Posted on Dec 7th 2010 12:00PM by Garin Pirnia
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Mark Metcalfe, Getty Images

Joy Division never got the chance to play Chicago and New Order haven't played a gig in the city since 2005, but at least bassist Peter Hook comes to town frequently for DJ gigs. At intimate venue the Double Door Monday night, Hook brought his four-piece backing band the Light to present Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures' in its entirety along with other singles from their legendary discography.

Before the show began, the young audience was treated to a 15-minute video retrospective about the two bands, which included interview clips and live footage. In the film, Hook mentioned the band had been influenced by Kraftwerk, so it made sense when he and the Light walked out to the band's 'Trans-Atlantic Express.' Getting down to business, the band opted to start with two songs from Division's 'An Ideal from Living' EP and two from 'A Factory Sample.' On opener 'No Love Lost,' Hook, on bass as always, made the best of his gravelly and well-worn vocals to mimic Ian Curtis.

After rousing the crowd with 'Digital,' Hook and the Light headed into the10 songs and 40 minutes of 'Pleasures.' First off was the poppy 'Disorder' followed by the brooding 'Day of the Lords,' 'Candidate' and 'Insight,' but it took the jagged 'Shadowplay' to finally break through the moroseness of the previous songs. As Hook sang, he periodically raised his arms, pointed to the crowd and seemed to stare up at the heavens as if Curtis was watching.

Once the measured 'I Remember Nothing' finished, Hooky and the band came back for a three-song encore consisting of songs from the 'Substance' compilation. After performing 'Warsaw,' Hook, who hadn't uttered a word during the show, finally broke his silence. "It's cold out, so I hope this sends you off with a warm glow," he said and launched into 'Transmission,' which exuded the right amount of energy to incite dancing and enthusiasm from the audience.

Hook and the band saved the best for last when they ended the night with Joy Division's most popular song, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart.' Despite having been covered a myriad of times throughout the past decades, Hook's version had a renewed vigor, especially since it was coming straight from the original source. "Here we go, Chicago!" he screamed as he railed on his instrument and fell to his knees, giving the crowd the closest thing they'd ever experience to Joy Division's fabled past.

Read Spinner's Interview With Peter Hook