Almost two years to the day since Peter Hook and The Light debuted their live reworkings of early Joy Division, centered around Unknown Pleasures, and a year since Closer et al was replayed, Friday 18th and Saturday 19th May 2012 saw Hooky complete the tri-cycle with Still - performed "in its entirety for the first ever time" at Factory 251.

The set matched the disjointed original album perfectly: powerful and previously unreleased/overlooked Joy Division tracks (The Only Mistake, Something Must Break) were added to The Light's now-enormous repertoire whilst earlier Warsaw tracks (The Kill, Walked In Line) and the Velvet cover version (Sister Ray) were added for completeness.

But it's the crossover points, when tracks from the Unknown Pleasures and Closer shows - now honed to powerful near-perfection through constant touring to obscure, surprised and eternally grateful foreign audiences - drop almost randomly into the set, that the band comes alive and the place explodes in mass catharsis.

The best is saved for last, though, with an excursion into New (Order) territory - 12 bass strings combine for The Him, Dreams Never End and a sublime Doubts Even Here.

The Light are alternating Unknown Pleasures and Closer around the UK in the next few weeks, then beyond. Festival headline/own tent stuff. Must see.

Labels: events, FAC251_The_Factory, gigs, Joy_Division, New_Order, Peter_Hook, The_Light

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