Hooked on Hooky

Peter Hook and The Light, The Castle
PETER Hook has recently come under some flak with his band The Light for performing Joy Division’s classic tracks. His latest offering has been dubbed as a glorified “tribute” act.

But last night’s performance at The Castle, helping celebrate the venue’s 10th anniversary, was so much more than that. This was not some 50-something man performing Elvis or a moon-walking fake Michael Jackson. This was a celebration of a time when Manchester was at the top of its game in the music world.

Hooky is keeping the flame alive of a band that was cut short 31 years ago with the tragic death of the alluring frontman Ian Curtis.

And the band’s former bassist has certainly gone down the nostalgic route with this latest offering — but he cannot be called a man who does not experiment and a man who milks the past.

Since Joy Division ended, he continued with New Order, Monaco, Freebass, to name a few.

So why not go back and have this blast from the past? The crowd at the packed-out Castle was full of fans who wer at the gigs in the Hacienda days — but there was also many (like me), who were too young to see the enigmatic Manchester group live.

This was a chance to taste a bit of local history and The Castle was fitting to the type of intimate venue where Joy Division shined best.

Fans were also treated to the appearance of Rowetta, of Happy Mondays and X Factor fame, who belted out a selection of Joy Division classics with emotional care. Listening to their seminal two albums is one thing and yes, the records do have a vital ingredient, Curtis, but when you hear them performed live now by Hook in their raw form it proved an experience for the younger generation and an opportunity for the elder fans to step back and relive.