Peter Hook

Doing the legendary album Unkown Pleasures of Joy Division is reason enough to see this show. At a capacity filled show, Peter Hook was in fine time. the band was tight and the songs never sounded better. Joy Divison's singer committed suicide right before the American tour was supposed to start. So it was the only chance to hear these great songs. The crowd was definetly into it, dancing ,singing along. Specially myself ,( Front row). So do yourself a favor and see & hear these incredible songs from a band that was ahead of its time, but never forgotten. " Radio live Transmission", Anthony

Joy Division was one of my favorite bands in the 80's and they are still a favorite of mine. Hearing 'Closer' live plus some bonus songs, was amazing. The musicians were excellent and Peter Hook's low vocal really sold the songs.

Peter Hook and The Light performing the Joy Division album "Closer." A great album and great performances of all of the songs plus a few other Joy Division songs. Ended with "Love Will Tear Us Apart," of course, and blew the roof off the place. Amazing!

I went to last year and this one was even better..Moby and Perry Farrell on stage...Amazing...Keep it Peter Hook...sad to know he was not included on New Order reunion...

Greta show, i had never listened to this music before but i do liek joy division and new order but im not HUGE fan just moderate fan BUT this show was really really good! had a blast!

A long-standing fan of Joy Division since 1981, I didn't quite know what to expect from Peter Hook and the Light. Given the odd concert behavior of New Order - once they played with their backs to the audience at Florentine Gardens in Hollywood - I hoped that Peter Hook, the bassist, who gave Joy Division its "sound" (aided by Martin Hannett) would interpret the Joy Division songs in the original sense they sought to bombard us (the audience) with. And, I was not disappointed. Nor were the many other people (most too young to remember the real Joy Division). One question I had prior to the concert was quite simple. Billed as the Unknown Pleasures version of the tour, what would Peter add to the show to complement an album that came in at maybe 40 minutes. Yes, there were songs from Closer that could be incorporated. But, as most Joy Division aficionados know, that album represented a turning point. Songs such as Atmosphere heralded the rise of New Order and the end of the Warsaw/Joy Division Unknown Pleasures band. Had Ian Curtis lived, one wonders whether this tension between the New Orderish Joy Division or the Warsaw Joy Division would have continued and led to even greater success than that demonstrated on Closer. Well, Peter Hook and the Light did not disappoint. They played the songs from Closer that fit with Unknown Pleasure and the 12 inch EPs that bridged the gap. It's hard to point to any one outstanding song. Transmission, Dead Souls, the list goes on and on. Of course, Love Will Tear Us Apart was reserved for the encore finale. An appropriate ending that everyone expected. What was unexpected - and a thrill to see performed live - were the two Warsaw songs that Peter Hook and the Light gave us. The one disappointment - if one can even call it a disappointment - was the appearance of Moby. His version of Dead Souls graced the soundtrack to Heat. So, in some respect, he is associated with that song. Yet, his appearance on stage added nothing to the song. His other efforts were equally flaccid. What I preferred to do while listening to the performance was to close my eyes and imagine the epileptic, spastic gyrations of Ian Curtis on stage. The music was there and Peter Hook's vocals were apt enough to allow me to envision the long-delayed first North American tour of Joy Division.

Great gig. Moby came on as a special guest and did a couple of tracks (She's Lost Control, Transmission) The El Rey is a top place to see gig's, it was my first time at a gig in L.A and although not as lively as gig's in the U.K, the crowd were still responsive.

This was an incredible show that far surpassed my expectations. Electronic artist André Obin's opening set was brilliantly hypnotic, and Peter Hook's performance of Closer was perfect from start to finish.. A special night that won't be forgotten soon.

Saw them at the Royale last year. This was another great show. Hook is not exactly a riveting front man, but he does a decent job. The band is tight and committed. The sound was very good considering The Paradise has lousy acoustics. The show started with an absolutely thundersous version of Dead Souls, with Hook and his son both playing bass. They played the entire Closer album. That album drags a bit in places, so the show did too. But they made up for it with an extended encore that included several songs from Unknown Pleasures.

First off Peter hook and the light were truly amazing. They were faithful yo the joy division sound and played closer straight through without a break. After they played their hits followed by two full generous encores. Again it was as if one was transported back to British tv watching Tony Wilson introduce Joy Division as the sound of Manchester. Personally hearing the sound of Joy Division live was one of those moments that gas been missing for a while. The death of Ian Curtis and the long standing refusal of New Order to play the music left a void that hooky and the light finally filled with their excellent show. Thank you hooky on many different levels. You are a brave man to resurect joy division and bring them to the land they never got to. Come back soon and god speed till then.

This was the show I didn't get to see in 1980. The show brought back a lot of great memories and Peter did a great job keeping true to the music. Played a long set and many other great songs not from Closer. It's a shame that Bernard and Steven aren't part of this, but the Light are all great musicians. Loved it.

Overall, this was a great show, an opportunity to hear wonderful songs performed by one of the original writers. Peter Hook was surprisingly energetic and obviously putting a full effort into his singing. My only criticisms would be that the performers sounded more like 'Peter Hook and his back-up band' than a cohesive creative group. That may have been the result of a mix that kept all of the instruments at about the same level instead of increasing the guitar or bass to match the lovely mixes from Joy Division and New Order shows that I've listened to. It could also be the fact that this was Peter Hook and his band... Also the songs from Closer came across as a bit less natural than the others performed. I think perhaps the slower pace and more atmospheric quality of that record was less comfortable for the musicians. Regarding the opening act, Andre Obin, I suspect his performance may have actually been a Master's Thesis on the limits of human politeness. Getting on stage with just a laptop, microphone and synth - or whatever that was over there - takes courage and deserves respect... but... the affected English accent, the tired lyrics, the predictable and outdated electro pop, the uncomfortable hip gyrations and complete lack of rapport with his audience, made it a great time to step outside for a cigarette. I'm not saying this to bash a kid who obviously loves what he does, but I would certainly encourage him to try working with a band for a while, adding some diversity and a bit of self-regulation.

Very nice job with the sound and they played with energy

This show was everything a joy division fan could possibly dream for in the year 2011. Quite a good one.

One of the best concerts this year for me , so glad i bought tickets the day before . Took me back in time & charged my battery ! Good times / Moby did a good job as well

I've seen three of Peter Hook's shows so far --- 1) Unknown Pleasures @ Music Box in DEC 2010 2) Closer @ Music Box on 9/14/11 3) Unknown Pleasures @ El Rey on 9/16/11 The El Rey show was by far the best! The venue is awesome. Just the right size. The stage lighting could not have been better produced! Something about this show that made it such a punk feel to it --- bass was turned up way high and the guitar had lots of distortion and some "metallica" feel to it on some songs. The set list was amazing. The only bummer was that they didn't play Ceremony. It really looked like they whole band kicked it up a notch and was far more involved in the show --- just amazing. Towards the end, there was a small mashpit with body slamming --- but nothing that got out of hand. Best PH show!

I had a great night, one of my top concerts!!!!! I was in the first line thanks Lord. Man these two nights in L.A. were historicals. Hook is still plenty of energy. His son plays the bass like his best teacher, his father. He will rock soon. Perfect venue.

Best show I've seen in a while! The set was great, Moby truly did the songs justice, it was just amazing and electric!

Better than nostalgic. The songs never died and were more alive than ever. I loved Peter Hook on vocals and his stage presence. I'm sure Ian Curtis was there.

What a show. Talk about going back in time. It was a scary good show. The entire show was of epic musicianship. This was one of those nights for the books. This was a sad, but fun evening. It's sad, knowing there aren't many bands out there today that can deliver what "The Light" with Peter Hook did. This time around, Peter had fun and took over the show. Moby belted out a couple, and nailed it.

Very professional and actually quite emotional, I cried.

Show was insanely good. Peter Hook sounded great. It was so good to hear those songs live. They meant so much to me in my youth. With Ian Curtis gone, I thought it would never happen. The beauty and emotion in the music lives on. Moby came out and sang a few songs with guts and abandon. The guy brought it. Fantastic show.

It was such a good show, one of the most amazing shows I have ever been to.

Fantastic performance... the Light takes Joy Division's music to another level... having two bass guitarists really does justice to the heavy driving feeling already captured on record... a highlight of the show was the not-so-surprise appearance by Moby, who seemed to be channeling his inner Henry Rollins more than Ian Curtis... during the encore, "Warsaw" had the audience pogoing like it's 1981... after listening to "Unknown Pleasures" for over 20 years, it was very rewarding to hear these tunes played live by musicians that understand how they should sound.

It was amazing to hear all those Joy Divison songs played live by one of the original members. I saw New Order twice back in 1982 and and Peter Hook spent most of the concerts snearing at the crowd while the rest of the band played while staring at the back wall. Friday night at the El Rey Hook came across as a normal guy enjoying what he does for a living. Great show, Great music and a great venue.

I was skeptical about going to see this band perform the music of Joy Division- but Peter Hook has managed to put together the perfect band to play this music and they do so with the passion and intensity that it deserves. Additionally Hook's 30 year history with the music and vocal style actually adds a new dimension to the lyrics of Ian Curtis. The venue is probably one of the best that I have ever been to. The Music Box has a wonderful neo-gothic design, amazing acoustics and wide open floor. There is not a bad seat in the house.

The show was very good, not great. The sound was muddy at Gramercy, Hooky's vocals were muffled, and the bass was too heavy, but it's the closest you are going to get to a Joy Division concert in your lifetime.

If you've ever wondered, what would it be like if Paul McCartney went on tour, only sang John Lennon songs and refused to play his bass for 98% of the show? Wonder no more: that's what Peter Hook was like live last night at Gramercy Theater, doing the songs of Joy Division. It was so frustrating. The bass was slung over Hooky's shoulder the entire time, while he ignored it and kept *singing*. I'm thinking, "Play that thing! It's *right there*!! Just reach down and strum..." To be fair, Hook does a decent impersonation of Ian Curtis's voice. But I do a darned good Morrissey impression, and no one's asking me to front a reunited Smiths.

better than expected...great to hear these tunes again...band melded together well