POWER, CORRUPTION AND MUD PIES

- New Order @ Finsbury Park, 09/06/02

Considering the weather, the crowds are quite a surprise. It’s possibly the wettest June day for a decade and the park is one giant mud bath. Think of a midget sized Glastonbury quagmire, and you’ll get an idea of what we’re dealing with here. Hence, the mud is everywhere - On folk’s clothes, on their faces, on the stage. Jesus, I’m sure I just spotted Swamp Thing in the beer tent!

Of today’s support acts, I only caught TV gardening show favourite Air. It was tricky to see the French electronic lounge lizards with all the raised umbrellas before the stage, but even when we did catch a glimpse of Godin and Dunckel, they weren’t doing much to catch our attention. Live, Air are a five piece, with a stage manner that hints at a bunch seventies of prog rockers. However, unlike say Pink Floyd, there’s very little to draw our attention to the band’s performance in the way of lighting or other visual media. Overall, the band obviously find it hard to project their sound to such a wide area as an open-air gig, a fact that is hardly helped by the lack of a clear front man. There are moments when their tracks hint at the feed back clash and drum machine clatter of the Sisters of Mercy (Serious!), whilst at other points they appear to feel more at home as backing music for a trip in your favourite elevator. Even the anthemic singles such as ‘Kelly Watch The Stars’ and ‘Sexy Boy’ fail to set the crowd alight. Perhaps rather than choose a French band with an English name, New Order should have chose a certain English band with a French name as their support? Or won’t Dave Gahan perform outside during the great British summer time?

One interesting point about the gig today was that I did not see one person wearing a New Order t shirt in the crowd, but literally hundreds of Joy Division shirts. Is the band only loved for their original incarnation, or do the faithful know something that the casuals don’t? The fans must be onto something, as tonight’s evidence suggests that New Order have quietly metamorphosed back into the minimalist rock beast that was Joy Division, it’s just that they haven’t actually told anyone. Not only can we testify this with the guitar led sounds of their latest LP ‘Get Ready’ (If not New Order’s greatest LP, at least their most rock and roll), but tonight’s set is a virtual feast for fans of Ian Curtis. We have a grand total of 5 Joy Division songs in the set (6 if we count the Curtis penned ‘Ceremony’, which tonight Peter Hook dedicates to Dee Dee Ramone) but even the other entries in the turbo charged set (Mainly from New Order’s nineties catalogue) rock like mothers. 

Perhaps we can attribute this to the absence of Gillian Gilbert? She’s taking time out to look after her daughter. Hence for the moment, a session guitar player is filling her guitar and keyboard duties. Truth be told, he hardly stands behind a keyboard, mainly backing up Bernard with a chorus of power chords. This testosterone fuelled incarnation of NO, deliver all that is expected of them and more. From the Brit pop with attitude of ‘Crystal’ to the graceful purity of ‘Regret’, this is a much more ‘live’ band than we have been used to at past performances. Peter Hook is back at his low slung bass playing best. As ever, looking like he’s the death metal roadie that got to live out all his dreams, and you can’t knock the physical touch he brings to the show.

Perhaps for the first time in his career, Bernard Sumner actually looks happy to be up on stage. His witticisms lift what for most has been a very miserable day. It looks like the reluctant front man has finally found his niche. He's helped on certain songs by a female backing singer, who gives a bluesy edge to Barney's somewhat deadpan vocals. Female vocalists may have been an idea that Morrissey balked at when it was suggested to the Smiths, but then New Order have always been ones push back the boundaries and always do the thing that you least expect of them.

As we have already noted, today's set will please Joy Division's fans no end. From 'Transmission', the pop hit that never was, to the cold steel death disco of 'She's Lost Control' (Played live for only the second time in twenty years at this gig) the band pay acute homage to Ian Curtis's legacy. 'Atmosphere' is sweet and brooding, a bitter pill that's easy to swallow. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is still the standard by so much of what they do is judged and here it gets the crowd going like tomorrow will never come. However, fans of New Order's eighties peak will leave feeling short changed, with only 'Bizarre Love Triangle' and a club flavoured rendition of 'True Faith' making appearances. There are some surprises though, chief among these being 'Brutal' from the Beach soundtrack, and a rendition of Joy Division track 'Digital', for which Bernard is joined by 'The Lakes' actor John Simm. Simm of course played Barney in the film '24 Hour Party People', so those who've had one too many today could be forgiven for thinking that they're seeing double on stage.

Encore 'Blue Monday' goes on for bloody ever, as always, but thanks to a little extra feedback input from our session player, starts to take on a rock and roll edge that could teach Orgy a thing or two. Barney offers the crowd two further choices for an encore - "If you want to hear 'World In Motion' put your hand in the air.  If you want to hear 'Your Silent Face' show us your penis!"

Due to current events in Japan, ‘World in Motion’ wins the vote, but Barney warns any prospective journalists in the audience not to judge their performance on this song, as they haven't rehearsed it (Sorry Bernard!). All things considered, it's a rousing rendition, with the absent Keith Allen's rap provided by the band's guitar roadie.  They proceed to play  'Your Silent Face' anyway, and after the constant feedback distortion that has characterised much of this performance, the song’s pretty electro precision is a welcome change.

Soon they are gone, but not forgotten, and the fact that most members of the audience resemble walking compost heaps hardly matters. This band, be they Joy Division or New Order are definitely back, and as Gary Barlow might have noted, they're definitely 'Back for Good'. 

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