Peter Hook & The Light @ Variety Playhouse

Peter Hook and The Light may not be familiar to most or even many music enthusiasts. But, if you were among the more introspective and hip music listeners circa 1979-1987, you should recall the bands Joy Division and New Order.

Peter Hook was a cofounder of Joy Division, a post-punk band whose production values were influential for many artists that followed in the early 80’s. If you’re not familiar with them, you’ve probably seen the cover of their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, on T-shirts as you’ve walked around the last several decades.

The lead singer of that band didn’t live to begin their first U.S. tour, and the remaining members carried on under the name New Order. That band developed a large following and likely more appealing to many as they ventured into dance and electronic influences. There’s been a lot of band history and division since then, but the good news is that Joy Division and New Order’s music is now being played live, albeit by two different bands. Neither is more or less legit than the other. Peter Hook & The Light is one of them.

So what of the crowd? They weren’t all “aging” and male. Quite the contrary. Ages and genders were mixed, bringing tons of enthusiasm regardless. And that’s great, because there was a lot to be enthused about in a 2.5 hour show, with two intermissions plus an encore, to treat the faithful to their favorites.

The show began with six songs by New Order. I don’t think this was to give their songs short thrift, but rather make room for the next two sets which were the complete Joy Division Albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer.

Peter Hook was, of course, the emcee, though little discussion was had with the audience. And, he was outstanding. Foremost because he’s singing material that was sung by another person with a dissimilar voice. That takes care to pull it off. Secondly, his voice was in excellent condition, better by far than some YouTube snippets hinted.

Another question, quite well satisfied, was the translation particularly of Joy Division’s albums, which aside from great content, were produced in a way that accentuated the feel of the music by its sparce sonic feel and sound effects. And, even though both albums are inarguably classics, it sounds of a different era just as much as The Beach Boys.

No worries here. The material was on the one hand faithfully presented, and on the other rocks in a way that keeps fans off their seats. If you like your music sitting down, please listen to the album and, for coffeehouse discussion, read the lyrics. They’re worth it. Sure, they can be plainly heard, but the music can steal your thoughts away from the content.

Highlights included whatever songs are a particular fan’s favorites as they were all performed well. This was evidenced by a round of spontaneous applause (below) between songs late in the show as the band members soaked it in.

For me, favorites included “Day of the Lords,” “She’s Lost Control,” “Wilderness,” the relentless drumming of “Atrocity Exhibition,” “A Means to an End,” “Twenty Four Hours,” the fiery guitar closing to “Decades,” “Transmission” and about any bass line you find. If there was a disappointment, it would be the absence of “Dead Souls,” a Joy Division B-side.

For memorabilia collectors, if you stay to the very end, you might get Peter Hook’s shirt, which on this occasion he tossed into the crowd like a guitar pick. Peter Hook and the Light delivered!

About that light. Variety remains a great place to hear and experience a concert with sloped seating, close stage access for general admission and awesome sound. Their lighting used to be phenomenal, then they switched to LED which made perfect sense for energy savings and reduced heat. And the lighting remained great. They appear to have changed the lighting system again, and recent shows seem to indicate more limited ability or a preference for darker tones and somewhat shadowed faces. This may establish a mood but impacts “seeing” the artist.