It’s been seven years since the legendary Peter Hook last brought his Substance tour to Nottingham, playing the best of both New Order and Joy Division. With that 2017 show being such a memorable night last time around, we just had to head down to Rock City to catch Hooky & Co playing a mammoth set of all the classics once again...
Arriving to Rock City just before 7pm, the queue to get into the venue has already started to spiral
round towards the hotel next door. With no support and a super early start time, it seems everyone
has turned up at the same time and sadly the long queue means we miss the first song, entering the main hall midway through an electric performance of late New Order hit, Crystal. The room is
absolutely packed tonight, with the balcony and even the usually quiet corners of the venue overflowing with people, all out for a nostalgia-filled Friday night.
Kicking off with a New Order set, Hooky, Pottsy (David Potts) and Co. sound bang on form this evening, with big guns Ceremony, Temptation and Blue Monday all getting the crowd invigorated early. It must be said that the technicolour lighting being used tonight really adds to the performance, bringing the vibrancy of these ground-breaking songs to life. With a tight curfew, there are no pauses between songs, with the band rattling through the likes of Thieves Like Us, The Perfect Kiss, Shellshock and Bizarre Love Triangle, with Pottsy occasionally filling in on vocals thanks to his Bernard Sumner-esque voice.
Hooky remains the star of the show, however, his iconic basslines reverberating through the electronica as he stands proudly front of stage, playing his instrument with plenty of showmanship for the engrossed crowd.
Before you know it, a huge singalong to feel-good hit True Faith concludes the New Order section of the evening, with the band exiting the stage for a brief break. After around 15 minutes they return, with the multi-coloured lighting now switched to just bright whites and blues for the darker, moodier Joy Division portion of this evening’s entertainment. After a momentary technical hiccup, Hooky welcomes the crowd to the Atrocity Exhibition, opening on the cut from Joy Division’s second and final album, Closer. As great as the New Order part of the evening was, the Joy Division tracks push the crowd into another gear, with Disorder, Warsaw and Leaders of Men causing chaotic scenes down the front.
“F*** me, I think I may have a heart attack!” exclaims Hooky, who is also going hell for leather and leaving it all on the stage tonight, intermittently throwing his sweaty towels into the audience.
As the aging crowd continues to relive their youth by moshing intensely front of stage, the classic tracks just keep on coming, with Digital, Transmission and She’s Lost Control all sounding incredible. Hooky’s voice seems naturally more suited to Ian Curtis’ style, as he bellows out these tracks at the top of his lungs, the crowd singing along with him all the way.
One of the highlights of the set then comes in the form of the ominous Shadowplay, which is made even more memorable when an older gentleman climbs his mate’s shoulders and proceeds to take his shirt off, generating huge cheers from the crowd as he swings it above his head.
“It’s like looking in a mirror!” jokes Hooky, laughing at the mad turn the evening has taken.
After blistering performances of Incubation and Dead Souls, with Hooky admitting that the latter was always one of his and Ian’s favourites, the main man then turns his attention to this week’s tragic news and the passing of One Direction singer, Liam Payne.
“This business is a blessing, but it can be a s*** business sometimes,” he says sincerely, pausing for a moment with the respectful audience. “Let’s send some love to that boy’s poor family,” he continues, with the crowd applauding before the dramatic bassline for Atmosphere begins. An emotional song at the best of times, it’s a real gut-punch tonight, with Hooky himself noticeably moved and fighting back tears for most of the performance. “RIP Liam, god bless,” he says once the beautiful, yet devastating performance concludes.
Brushing off the tears, Hooky then leads the crowd into one last mass singalong, ending this
evening’s performance on one of the greatest songs of all time – Love Will Tear Us Apart. Just like in 2017 it’s a goose-bump-inducing moment, with the positive energy in Rock City palpable as everyone experiences this iconic song together. As the crowd continue to sing the refrain and take the roof off the venue, Hooky and Pottsy can only look at one another and smile, dragging out the track for as long as possible before eventually bringing it to its climax. The applause is thunderous as the band take a bow, with Hooky following suit from the guy in the crowd earlier by removing his shirt and gifting a souvenir to someone in the audience.
An emotional rollercoaster and a hit-filled 2.5-hour set, Peter Hook & The Light will always give you your money’s worth when they come to town. Just like the last Substance show I experienced at Rock City, this evening’s performance is one that will live long in the memory.
Love may tear us apart, but tonight it brought Nottingham together in a moment of euphoric, life-affirming joy.
Peter Hook & The Light performed at Rock City on 18th October 2024.
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