Transmission: The Sound of Joy Division

This gig was advertised as marking the 40th anniversary of Joy Division's Closer album, apparently NME's album of the year for 1980. The gig was on its fourth rescheduling due to Covid. Website said it was sold out, although the place looked far from packed. Given the age of the likely audience one wonders whether some didn't survive from original purchase of tickets, or simply didn't remember they had bought tickets....

So this was not Joy Division - lead singer Ian Curtis having committed suicide 40 years ago and the rest of the band reforming as New Order (and I have tickets to see them twice in the autumn). It was a tribute act and I wouldn't normally go to see such an act. But then again I so enjoyed the Smyths that I thought I would give this a go. 

I had bought two tickets but sadly couldn't persuade anyone to join me. The two guys I was relying on both blew me out in favour of their girlfriends. (I mean, who in their right minds would prefer going out on a Friday night with an attractive young woman when you could accompany an old man into a dark basement full of even older blokes? Hmm. Anyone I guess, thinking about it...😂)

Anyway, here they are, a middle-aged (to be generous) bunch of Brummies playing pretty much all of Joy Division's output. I had expected them to play Closer and then the rest, but actually it was just a mix throughout. I got chatting with a bloke at the interval who had managed to miss the entire first half by assuming this was a "normal" gig, ie support band and then main act comes on to do a full set with an encore. But, as I assume is standard for this type of act, they played two full sets with an interval. I also imagined they would save "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (a song which regularly tops lists of all-time best indie records) as the encore but actually they played it midway through the second act. Which was fair enough - stops the cliche, and for Joy Division lovers there is no shortage of great tracks. And basically you wouldn't be there if not a Joy Division aficionado.

So what was it like? Well unsurprisingly for a mature group of musicians, they  played pretty damned well to my untrained ear. It sounded like the genuine article (which I have only ever heard on record as I was at school when JD were active). The audience was more appreciative than enthusiastic, perhaps reflecting their age, but also reflecting the style of the music which is to be fair intense and fairly morose. You have to like that sort of thing. It really isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. But for those of us who do, well it does seem like genius. Joy Division are still revered after all these years, more so than even when Ian Curtis was alive.

The chap playing the Ian Curtis role clearly had a bit of a personality by-pass. His banter with the audience after songs was usually limited to "Thanks, Cheers" and a thumbs up as applause rang out. Sometimes replaced by "Cheers, Thanks" for variety. But then again Ian Curtis wasn't renowned for his bubbling personality.

So did I enjoy this despite my sad lack of a companion and the rather respectful audience? I could have just stayed at home and listened to a CD in a comfortable seat with a cup of cocoa. But yes of course I did. The live experience was missing much of what I would consider that I like about going to live gigs - discussing the gig with mates, the energy of the audience, seeing the real band, the general atmosphere. To give you an idea of how laid back this was, it is the first gig I have ever been to where there was no one at the front! As I said, it wasn't crowded and no one felt the need to get too close, preferring to hang back with their pints. So I was dead centre but spent the gig leaning back against a pillar (the 100 Club being a cellar it has several pillars holding up the ceiling and floors above). I was poised to move forward a couple of steps if anyone looked like filling my vantage point, but no one did.

So why go to this rather than listen to a cd? Well it is nice seeing people play live, but mostly I think it is the concentration. Bit like watching live sport. At home there are distractions. Here one just gets fully into the music. It is all that occupies one. And Joy Division is worth listening to. Properly. Honest.