Talk about a fight where you have no dog in it. I thought Peter Hook was crap when I heard him perform Joy Divisions’ Unknown Pleasures at Irving Plaza a couple of years ago, and thought it was beyond the pits. Incidentally, Alyson saw Hook around the same time and thought he was great, but what does she know?
Last year I caught New Order at the dreaded Roseland with even that in mind, it was a lousy show and a huge disappointment. New Order is now New Order with out their bassist, Hook is their bassist without New Order. But since both Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook handled the singing for New Order, this is another case without a clear cut winner.
Now, Hook is touring behind New Order’s first two albums, Movement and Power, Corruption And Lies, and New Order are pushing the franchise all over the States without him.
I would like Hook a lot more if he hadn’t taken $20,000 of a rich fan to allow him to play at a Boston gig. It seems a little, well, I think the word is greedy. And indifferent to the product she are serving up your audience. But look at it from Hook’s POV: he wrote em, he has as much right to play them as the rest of the band does. what else are they for? And it is not as if the rest of the band has done so much to place themselves in a bright light of innocence. After regrouping in 2011, all they’ve released in odds and sods, no NEW MATERIAL AT ALL.
Then they toured behind it and it was about exactly what you thought it was only very very expensive. Like three times the price of Hooks gigs. So, when looked at for that direction, it certainly wasn’t three times better that Hook. Hook was terrible but New Order were a boring nostalgia add.
Perhaps the problem with New Order is that synth bands are like rappers: if they are phoning it in they are stinking up the place and I would certainly claim that was the case. It was an uninspired slog through hits and non hits. Meanwhile, Hook was worse. Karoake versions of Joy Division songs. If there is a worst a version worse than Hooks of “Love Will Tear Us Apart Again”, I’ve missed it. Indeed, if it wasn’t for the Killers, these would be the worst Joy Division covers ever… including Savages.
I wouldn’t go either… OK, if New Order were playing Radio City or Beacon and the timing was right I might given them one more shot, till then, tale these grades and stick em.
Peter Hook And The Lights – D+
New Order – C