New Order. Live at the Birmingham Ballroom. 29/04/2012
With not exactly a shortage of bands reforming in the recent
years you would be forgiven for thinking that recently reincarnated eighties
ensemble New Order would be little more than a brief injection of euphoria for
angst ridden forty-somethings desperate for that last dose of 1983. Instead, we
are presented with a measured snapshot of a unique moment in British pop music
history, in a fitting scenario that sees Bernard Sumner and co return to
Birmingham, thirty two years after the University of Birmingham played host to
the last ever Joy Division performance before singer Ian Curtis’s suicide forced
Sumner to take to the microphone and lead New Order into a new era.
Considering this was clearly going to be a ‘greatest hits’
affair, any danger of passive nostalgia was quashed by an urgency to go out and
enjoy the moment, both by band and fans alike. Classics such as True Faith and
Temptation teased a vibrant reception as few seemed affected by the absence of founding
bassist Peter Hook, currently touring the life out of the Joy Division back
catalogue. Jubilation ensued at hearing debut single ‘Ceremony’ and the entire
crowd, however balding, seemed to form a mutual connection for an upbeat
version of Joy Division classic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, a rendition that
seemed to complete a night of simply exceptional music.
Despite Sumner’s niggling cold, (he had a little lean up a
wall during Blue Monday – which could be forgiven given its longevity), the
band forged on, with unrelenting vigour, ensuring a performance that never once
felt laboured and gave the crowd, not just a flash back to their heady days of
‘then’, but a fresh performance for ‘now’, certifying synth-pop’s relevance in
the 21st Century.
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