Entering the O2 Academy, you’re instantly struck by a sea of t-shirts, half Joy Division, half New Order, with the occasional Peter Hook design thrown in for good measure. It’s a crowd caught between eras, one side mourning the late Ian Curtis, the other celebrating the synth-driven highs of New Order’s evolution. As Hooky himself took the stage, guitar slung low, as always, the atmosphere felt charged—less a gig, more a pilgrimage.

“This is for Ian Curtis,” Peter Hook declares early on, his voice thick with remembrance. “We are here tonight and every other night to commemorate his life—44 years gone. God rest his soul.” It’s a moment that encapsulates the duality of the evening—an act of homage, but also of rebirth. Hook’s voice may not evoke the dark baritone of Curtis, but then, anyone expecting an Ian Curtis impersonation came for the wrong reasons. What you get instead is something equally vital: heart, soul, and a deeply personal connection to the material.

The night kicked off with New Order classics—Regret, Crystal, and What Do You Want From Me—each one a reminder of the band’s evolution post-Joy Division, shimmering with synths and punchy rhythms. Hooky’s voice is distinct, rough around the edges compared to Bernard Sumner’s smoother delivery, but that raggedness adds a raw, emotional energy to the performance. Crystal, in particular, felt defiant, the pulsating rhythm matched by the bouncing bodies in the audience.

What followed was a full dive into the Substance albums of both New Order and Joy Division, the setlist a near-perfect balance between Hook’s two musical lives. The biggest hits naturally stood out—Temptation, Bizarre Love Triangle, and the towering Blue Monday sent shockwaves through the Academy. Each one was performed with an urgency that belied their decades-old release dates, proof that these tracks, in Hook’s hands, are as vital as ever.

After a short intermission, the second half took a darker, more introspective turn, as Hook led the crowd through some of Joy Division’s most iconic tracks. Heart and Soul, Transmission, She’s Lost Control, and Shadowplay all served as stark reminders of the band’s genius. Here, the mood shifted from nostalgia to something heavier, more profound—an elegy for what was lost and a celebration of what remains. Hook’s bassline on Transmission throbbed through the crowd like a living thing, while She’s Lost Control was frenetic, a controlled chaos that seemed to mirror Curtis’ own struggles.

As the night drew to a close, the inevitable happened—the opening chords of Love Will Tear Us Apart rang out, and the entire Academy erupted. It was a fitting finale, one of those rare moments where a song transcends the years and becomes something more, a connection not just between the audience and the band, but with the spirit of Curtis himself.

It’s impossible to ignore the gravity of a Peter Hook and the Light show. This is not a nostalgia act nor a carbon copy of what came before. It’s something deeply personal, a testament to the enduring power of both Joy Division and New Order, seen through the lens of one of their key architects. And as Hook’s guitar hung improbably low, his voice straining in all the right places, you were reminded that this is his legacy too—a living, breathing one at that.

Words: Angela Canavan

Photos: Angela Canavan