Peter Hook & The Light
5th October 2017
The Studio, Auckland, New Zealand
Reviewed by Sarah Kidd.
How exactly do you describe something that is perfectly indescribable? How can you possibly put into words the feelings evoked upon hearing some of the most quintessential songs of music history live?
This was the dilemma I was faced with when witnessing the tour de force that is Peter Hook.
For the uninitiated; Peter Hook is the bass guitar virtuoso that makes it on to almost any Top 10 Bass guitarists list; ex member of Joy Division and of course New Order, he is also a writer, a DJ and a musician in several other side projects.
Tonight Hook (Hooky to his fans) has travelled to Auckland as Peter Hook & The Light for the ‘Substance’ tour – promising to play both albums (with the same name) from the aforementioned Joy Division and New Order.
There is no support band tonight; none is required, and so the hour between doors opening and the band sauntering onto the stage is spent amongst the bustling – almost at capacity – crowd, endeavoring to secure the sweetest spot for one’s personal listening and viewing pleasure.
When Hook arrives, it is as if a demi-god has stepped into the room; for a momentary split second in time I swear the audience stopped breathing before unleashing a wave of jubilant appreciation; beer bottles held high in the air, the occasional cry of “Hooky!!” riding the crest. He is dressed simply; a dark red tshirt over a pair of pale baggy cargo shorts that finish just a fraction below his knee; small pieces of tattoo work peeping out from his calves. A pair of solid ankle boots are strapped to his feet, almost as if to anchor him in this moment because as he eyes up the audience with that ‘no fucks given’ look it is evident this colossus is ready to tear the place apart.
And as ‘Dreams Never End’ descended down upon us we were transported into an entirely different world – where there was nothing and no one except for these four men on stage lead by Hook himself, legs apart, fingers plucking the bass strings as if they were nothing at all. And just who may you ask are joining the mighty Hook on stage tonight? Well one of the most impressive has to be Hook’s own son; Jack Bates on bass guitar; not only leading the charge on some of the tracks tonight but performing outstanding bass duets with his father with such perfect synchronicity that it almost brings a tear to the eye. Sporting a Smashing Pumpkins ‘Zero’ tshirt (a nod perhaps to his touring stint with them), he is more of a subdued, keep to the shadows kind of player. Do not let this fool you though – his quiet demeanor takes nothing away from the calibre of his playing. He has obviously inherited his father’s talents for the heavy bass strings and yet he has molded and carefully crafted them into something of his own.
The rather talented Paul Kehoe mans the kit tonight; perched upon a riser he overlooks the band as well as the crowd as he strikes out the flawless time signatures to each track. On keys/synths is Martin Rebelski; tucked away to the right of the stage he may have been hidden from the view of a few punters – but he made his presence felt throughout the evening. And of course last, but certainly not least, David Potts; being a member of both Revenge and Monaco during his musical career he is well familiar with Hook and I believe that it is this connection, this friendship and musical comradery that makes the two of them sound so utterly incredible when they appear on stage together; Potts often taking the reins when it comes to lead vocals, his voice just as stunning as Hook’s.
While disappointingly the sound mix was rather muddy to begin with (something that occurs far too often at The Studio) it soon righted itself to the point that you could begin to completely lose yourself in the music; songs such as ‘Temptation’ with its peppy chorus enveloping the crowd and encouraging them to bounce as Hook raises the volume of his voice by several notches to shout out the chorus throwing in a “Last time Auckland!” to really get everyone going.
Unsurprisingly ‘Blue Monday’ has the entire venue dancing – pockets of ‘fallen leaves’ dancers winding their bodies with their arms in the air. Hooky’s bass notes come charging through as his leg stance gets wider and he peppers the track with calls of “c’mon” and “yeah”. Rebelski’s synth work is particularly notable as well, balancing the song and adding to its body. Another stand out is ‘Thieves Like Us’ – a favourite of Hook’s, who believes the song to be a “far superior single to ‘Blue Monday’” according to a recent interview I conducted with him (which you can read for yourself – here).
As we come towards the end of the New Order set, Hook once again steps out onto the far corner of the stage, showing off his prowess on the bass much to the delight of the fans lucky enough to have secured a front row position. Upon the conclusion of a mind blowing version of ‘Subculture’, Hook exaggeratedly wipes the – very genuine – sweat from his brow with a long drawn out gesture. Followed up with beautiful ‘State of the Nation’ in which once again Rebelski’s talent on the keyboards shines through, and the very singable ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ and we are once again hit with a mammoth of a track – ‘True Faith’ sending the venue into a mad dancing frenzy; however something had caught Hook’s eye in the front row and as soon as he finished playing he addressed a member of the audience, telling them to “cut it out” or he will have them removed – adding that he will “do it himself too” the fans cheering as their idol stared down the offending concert goer.
Finishing the set on ‘1963’ the boys bid us farewell stating that they would be “back in a minute’ – at which point they would unleash their Joy Divison set upon us. During the break many stood their ground, holding their prized positions, while others like myself scampered off to the bathrooms and bar lines.
The band soon returned, still in the same somewhat drenched attire and began the set with ‘No Love Lost’ setting the tone for the next sixty minutes or so. And as Hook sang the lines from each of the Joy Division tracks – his voice crystal clear it was evident at that very moment that he perfectly encapsulated everything that was good about both New Order and Joy Division simultaneously. His playing, his vocals, his swaggering demeanor; it was all completely on point for each and every track.
While the New Order set had more bounce and energy to it, the Joy Division set burned with a deep passion that rumbled in our bellies and coursed through our veins. It was beauty personified with razor sharp teeth.
Coming into the home straight and Hook hit us all with a triple combo that left you reeling in the afterglow; the pace of ‘Dead Souls’ (covered brilliantly by Nine Inch Nails many years later) leading into the cathartic ‘Atmosphere’ which Hook dedicated to the people of Las Vegas “This world is going to shit – be careful out there”; and finally descending into the iconic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ the audience almost drowning the band out as they sang the words with love and dedication; many to the memory of Ian Curtis himself. And with that it was over, all too soon it seemed. Hooky left alone on stage as the band members quietly slipped into the darkness; slowly peeling off his tshirt he threw it out into the audience before thanking us all and walking away.
It was at that moment I truly understood what he said to me a few weeks ago in regards to playing these songs each and every night of the ‘Substance’ tour; “I’m dancing with the angels’ baby”.
Yes Hooky, you truly are.
Editors Note: Due to the unethical attempt by Peter Hook & The Light’s management (Three Little Pigs / Porcupine Management) to acquire all photographers images for any use with no compensation, we have decided to not cover this show photographically. Ambient Light stands in solidarity with the need for photographers to be compensated for their work when used for commercial purposes, and to not sign ‘rights grab’ styled contracts. For more information you can view this story on The Music Photographers Network.
Were you there at The Studio to witness this nostalgic show? Or have you seen Peter Hook and The Light live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
New Order Set
- Dreams Never End
- Procession
- Cries & Whispers
- Ceremony
- Everything’s Gone Green
- Temptation
- Blue Monday
- Confusion
- Thieves Like Us
- The Perfect Kiss
- Subculture
- Shellshock
- State Of The Nation
- Bizarre Love Triangle
- True Faith
- 1963
Joy Division Set
- No Love Lost
- Novelty
- From Safety To Where..?
- Komakino
- These Days
- Warsaw
- Leaders Of Men
- Digital
- Autosuggestion
- Transmission
- She’s Lost Control
- Incubation
- Dead Souls
- Atmosphere
- Love Will Tear Us Apart
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