Peter Hook & The Light plays San Diego two brilliant post punk shows in one

What to say about Joy Division? What to say about New Order?? What to say about one night of both separated into two sets by one of the bands’ co-founding members?!?! Post punk icon Peter Hook does just that, now playing his darkwave hits alongside “The Light” — a detail I find so delightfully cheeky.

Although having releases of his own, Hook keeps the essence of Joy Division (and New Order, for that matter) alive in his solo performances.

You might be wondering how Hook upholds the legacy of Ian Curtis (late singer of Joy Division, for those who don’t know, whose death prompted the birth of the ‘New Order’ back in 1980)… well, rest assured, he has his voice down. And, for those who do know, you might be thinking, “why not just go attend a New Order concert, since they’re still touring pretty much in tact?” Let me tell you, I’ve been to a Sumner show and I’ve been to a Hook show and the latter just has the attitude of Joy Division in all its gothic greatness. Not to knock on New Order, as their set is still entertaining to this day; they’re just a bit more refined onstage… no ethos of the original JD ensemble.

I was honored to catch Peter Hook when he stopped by Humphrey’s in San Diego on September 16th, or as it turned out, a goth family reunion. Even the heads of the San Diego Goth Picnic were there! It was a “who’s who” of the old punkers, mingling about with pocket chains jingling and black boots up to the knee. Wait, did I just spy Tony Hawk walking by?! Talk about San Diego royalty…

The first set was exclusively New Order, with the exception of one Monaco cover, starting with a special guest.

Cold Cave — aka the name for Wesley Eisold’s solo project, heavily influenced by the 80s synthwave genre –came out to perform his favorite New Order song, “Procession”. And that wasn’t the only VIP of the evening; by the time Set Two rolled around, Hook called out his son to accompany him onstage while he “took a break touring with The Smashing Pumpkins“. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Set One was a giant dance party, with cheers erupting throughout the bayside venue from the first notes of every song. Playing deep dives to “True Faith”, “Regret”, “Ceremony”, “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “Dreams Never End” — Hook played it all… it was particularly rewarding to hear “Blue Monday”, considering it was a Monday. Hook even went into (what seemed like) a 10-minute tangent in the middle of… was it “Thieves Like Us”? I can’t recall exactly, as I was thrash dancing in ecstasy the entire time.

After a brief inter-“Transmission”, Hook returned to the stage ready for “Disorder”.

Yep, it was Joy Division time. Darker, deeper, more bass-heavy music made for a happy Hookey. It was even too bassy for one man to handle, calling for a second bass player for some tracks (cue, Hook’s son). Having been to New Order shows (albeit the newest ‘order’ with Tom Chapman), I’ve NEVER been able to enjoy Joy Division live. My life is officially complete. From “Transmission” to “She’s Lost Control” to the finalé “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, Hook had me hooked, line, and sinker. I can’t express my gratitude enough, having being born post-Curtis in the late 80s. Honestly, I can’t wait till the next Peter Hook show!

Photography by Kristy Rose

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