Post-punk legend Peter Hook and his band The Light came to Philadelphia last Wednesday, and brought with them songs from Joy Division and New Order’s single compilation, “Substance”. This was a truly multi-generational show. Whether you’re a zoomer who discovered Joy Division on TikTok, a millennial who might’ve discovered this music surfing obscure online music forums, or a Gen-Xer who discovered the band crate-digging a local record shop and had an “Unknown Pleasures” poster adorn the walls of their college dorm in the band’s heydey, all came together to share their love of the songs that helped shape them into who they are today.
From the iconic opening notes of “Ceremony” kicking off the New Order portion of the show, fans were enthralled and singing along to every line, as if the 1980s had never left. “Heaven knows, it's got to be this time…” Hook sings as fans dance along as if in a punk rave some 40 years in the past. The band rolled on through their set, playing other classics from New Order like “Temptation”, “True Faith”, “Bizarre Love Triangle” and of course the unforgettable “Blue Monday”. The band, awash in hues of purples and blues, brought their 80’s classic to life and had the entire room, young and old, grooving along. After a short set break, the band returned to the stage for the second portion of the show: the songs of Joy Division’s “Substance”. A short moment of reflection was held for the the late Ian Curtis, the driving force behind Joy Division in the late 1970’s. Peter and his band are a powerhouse of sound and really do justice bringing these songs to life decades later while also upholding Ian’s legacy.
The unstoppable Peter Hook and his band then treated the audience to another dozen classic songs, like “Transmission”, “She’s Lost Control”, “Shadowplay”, “Atmosphere”, and ending with Joy Division’s quintessential song, “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. At this point the entire audience was singing along at the top of their voices, proving that the songs of yesteryear that shaped them decades ago matter more than ever in the present day. For the younger generations who never got to see Hook’s iconic bands in their heyday, and for older fans to celebrate the band’s catalogues once again, the music of Joy Division and New Order is more alive than ever and will truly leave a legacy for many more decades to come with how generation-defining their sound was and will continue to be.
