The Mic's Reece Bulleyment recalls his trip to see Peter Hook and the Light at Rock City
As I walked into Rock City, the sound of Regret and a strong accompanying feeling of nostalgia washed over me. The hopeful sound of a synthesiser and the almost youthful energy of a strumming guitar was held down by metronomic drums, but most importantly, tied together by the effortlessly cool and deep melodies of Peter Hook’s (henceforth ‘Hooky’) bass playing. These beautifully simple melodies are what makes New Order’s music what it is, and no element embodies this more than Hooky’s basslines (amazing considering Hooky is, in his own words, ‘tone deaf’!). Regret was an excellent first song in what would be an evening full of nostalgia.
I first fell in love with Joy Division when I was 15. I’d just started my first band, and thanks to my bandmate Jay (cheers J) we were soon listening to and covering Joy Division and New Order. We covered a few of their songs, but one that really made us feel inspired was Ceremony. For this reason, then, listening to Ceremony echo across Rock City felt particularly special. To hear a song that has been so special to me for years played live felt like the culmination of a musical journey in my life. As that timeless bass melody began to play, I saw old and young alike all emphatic at hearing the music of our youth- this meant something special to all of us. The seemingly sombre lyrics were juxtaposed by the crowd chanting the chorus back at the band in exultation, with the wall of sound from the guitars feeling just as exciting as when I’d first played it all those years ago.
A few songs later, the deep thumping of an electronic bass drum shattered the silence of an inter-song pause. It was then followed by a rhythm we all knew (and had been waiting for); a melody crept in, and the strong and uncompromising octaves of the synth bass drove the song forwards. Everything dropped out. Hi-hats illuminated the pause like flashing lights in the dark, and then the song really started. Hooky’s bass reverberated through the venue as if through a cavern. The crowd let go and danced, it was like we were back in some eighties club and this banger had just been released, it’s a song that’s eternally fresh; timeless.
The unexpected highlight of this set for me must’ve been The Perfect Kiss. Flirtatious percussion opened the song, and bold slap bass (something rare in Hooky’s basslines) punctuated the intro. Once the synthesiser came in and the singing started, you really felt the new-wave side of New order. Hooky’s bass melodies -along with the synth- gave the song its colour, and the song finished with a legendary bass solo.
Something that also definitely needs to be appreciated are the musicians in Hooky’s band. Especially David Potts. Especially David Potts. While Hooky brings Joy Division’s vocals to life in a way that honours Ian Curtis perfectly, David Potts really manages to capture the essence of New Order’s vocals when he sings songs like, Subculture, and Bizarre Love triangle (of course originally sung by Bernard Sumner- ‘Barney’). The rest of the band also more than do justice to the songs, with the drums and synth both faithful to the recordings, while giving all the unique flourishes you want from a live performance.
Upon reflecting on the New Order Set, the choruses really made the gig. Even their harshest critic would struggle not to chant the choruses of Temptation, Thieves Like Us, and True Faith (though they’d be forgiven for getting song names confused, since these almost always have nothing to with the lyrics of the song, something I’ve always found charming).
After a brief intermission I left the Rock City bar, beer in hand, and slipped through the cracks in the crowd as Atrocity exhibition begun. The descending drum groove of the intro set the mood for this darker half of the set: the music of Joy Division. Hooky’s bass only reinforced the industrial feel, with guitar echoing a sawing, soldering factory sound. Hooky’s bellowing of Ian’s lyrics brought them to life completely and the crowd shouted the gothic lyrics with a kind of morbid catharsis, “Asylums with doors open wide, where people had paid to see inside, for entertainment they watch his body twist, behind his eyes he says, ‘I still exist’. This is the way, step inside”.
This set was littered with Joy Division classics. It was defined by a combination of punchy drums and, once again, Hooky’s original style of bass playing. When these elements are combined with distorted guitar and Ian’s melodies and vocals, you can easily see why Joy Division never went stale. You can certainly see why they are still revered. Joy Division are sometimes thought of a depressing band, and while of course they do deal with themes of desperation, alienation, and powerlessness in their music, describing them like this would risk forgetting how much energy and vibrant spirit are in songs like these. There was real passion in the performance of Disorder, cool swagger in Digital, and a sense of brilliance Transmission. The crowd’s excitement during the second set was just as much as in the first, if not more.
Two of my favourite songs in the set were Warsaw and Leaders of Men. These songs come from the era of hooky’s career when what would later be ‘Joy Division’ was called ‘Warsaw’. The raw vitality of these early tunes gave the crowd life and energy. The punks let their metaphorical hair down (not their real hair, they’d shaved all that off) and started what was one of the roughest mosh pits I’ve been in. Harsh guitar cuts the crowd like a knife, the muted bass drives the song as Hooky croons the stark vocals. It's easy to see how this sound evolved into the post-punk style the band pioneered. in songs played later in the set, especially She’s Lost Control, and Shadowplay. Not surprisingly then the punk mosh pit raged on through these songs as the dark lyrics and distorted guitar danced above the unapologetically relentless rhythm section.
Dazzling lights shone into the audience as the stoic bass of Atmosphere began, one of Joy Division’s most strikingly beautiful songs. Hooky and the crowd sung together, “walk in silence, don’t walk away in silence”. The prescience of the lyrics are striking. lyrics Ian once wrote now serve as a homage to him in retrospect. It’s a stunning, sensitive song that brings the crowd together, arms around shoulders. There was a feeling of love from the crowd to Hooky, and clearly too from Hooky to the crowd. The synth flutters, and the live addition of a warm, gentle, distorted guitar fits the song perfectly.
And of course, how could the gig finish on anything other than Love Will Tear Us Apart. Hooky strummed the bass triumphantly, like a celebration of a gig well played. You could feel throughout this gig Hooky’s heart and soul poured into every one of these songs, and never more than this. Those striking strums of the guitar, and the synth that captured the melancholy of the song. The whole crowd was dancing, arms in the air as what must’ve been everyone in the venue sang together that timeless lyric, “love, love will tear us apart… again”. The perfect ending to a night of nostalgia, catharsis, joy, and togetherness.
Reece Bulleyment
Peter Hook & The Light are delighted to announce that they will be playing the Rebellion Festival at Blackpool Winter Gardens on Saturday 9 August 2025. Their performance will see them play a selection of the most iconic and beloved tracks from the repertoires of his bands Joy Division and New Order.
Edited by Ted Culley
In-article image courtesy of Ivan Karczewski
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