Get Ready with Peter Hook & The Light – Live at the O2

Peter Hook & The Light have been on tour throughout November in celebration of the upcoming 25^th anniversary of the New Order album Get Ready (2001), which extends into next year with tours of Australia and North America on the horizon. To close out the UK tour, Peter Hook brought what is, in my opinion, New Order’s best album to Leeds’ O2 Academy for a jam-packed two-and-a-half-hour set. 

With such an extensive set being bestowed on the crowd, they didn’t have to wait long until the band graced the stage with their incredible presence. Opening the set with my favourite New Order song and opening track on the album was ‘Crystal’ with a gripping extended introduction and the lights flashing rapidly before the band arrived with plenty of waves and smiles to the audience. Instantly, the crowd were grooving with addictive guitar riffs and commanding choruses. You definitely have your work cut out for you to track where Peter Hook ducks and jives around as he plays the bass solos in front of different parts of the adoring crowd, as the photographers scrambled to join him. 

What made this set even more impressive was Peter Hook playing through such a substantial set with a shoulder injury! He announced this when backing guitarist Yves Altana took over his bass duties for ‘Turn My Way’, but this had no effect on Peter Hook’s unforgettable presence and perfectly blended vocals with guitarist David Potts. With alternating vocal duties between him and Potts, lots of dancing around the stage and perfect composure, they powered through the album. If you put a heat map on that stage, I’m sure every inch of it would be bright red, as no patch was uncovered that night! Another delight about this set was Peter Hook’s crowd interactions. After having the privilege of interviewing him, it should be known that he’s got a wicked sense of humour and has the best anecdotes. After playing ‘Someone Like You’ he made a quip about the mistake they made, and that’s how we all knew they were playing live. There was never any doubt in my mind, and I’m sure all the crowd would agree on that one. 

There is such a professionalism about Peter Hook & The Light because everything they do has such a cool and collected manner about it. Every last detail of every song is accounted for, and this was demonstrated throughout with smooth transitions between songs such as ‘Someone Like You’ to ‘Close Range’.  Another hint of Hook’s humour came from the way he introduced bonus track ‘Brutal’, where he poked fun at old times when recording the album. After playing through ‘Here To Stay’, there was a brief interlude before the greatest hits set, but there was no drop in energy in the room as they all clapped and cheered when the lights flashed to indicate the band’s return. 

This second set was mostly a half-and-half split of Joy Division and New Order songs, with the former opening the first half of this set. What makes Peter Hook’s performances a true standout is the love and respect he shows to former bandmate Ian Curtis through his echoing of the emotions Curtis felt as he sang. I really felt the despair irradiating from Hook as he sang ‘Where will it end?’ during ‘Day Of The Lords.’ They continued to show their attention to detail with screams that launched into instrumental bridges, short and sweet drum fills, and Potts playing the guitar all the way up his fretboard to create these distorted, dominating sounds throughout. My defining moment of the set was getting to hear ‘Shadowplay’ live for the first time. With an extended intro and outro, it meant the crowd could enjoy the song for longer with a breathtaking guitar solo that gave the song a fresh perspective. 

The most touching moment of the song came when Peter Hook dedicated ‘Atmosphere’ not only to Ian Curtis but to Stone Roses bassist Mani, who passed away the week before and was one of the most dearly beloved people in music. Looking around the room, you could see tears pricking people’s eyes as Peter Hook stated that those two were in great company with each other. They played a truly beautiful rendition of this sombre track, and the crowd were silent as they took in the melancholic drums and deep vocals. Another unforgettable moment came when Peter Hook changed his guitar to a sticker-clad bass before they launched into the iconic ‘Blue Monday’. There’s a reason it’s the best-selling 12” record of all time. The legendary synth got the crowd going completely crazy, and they sang the synth lines as well as the lyrics! The ethereal gospel backing vocals and bassline combo completely consumed everyone and gave you a surreal feeling of being lifted by the music!

Peter Hook & The Light played through the rest of the set with perfect delivery of guitar and bass solos, pulsating synth lines and an infectious joy from every band member as they constantly smiled at each other. Peter Hook made every crowd member feel involved by pointing at different parts of the room during, repeating lyrics such as “show me” or “I put my trust in you”. He also leaned down whilst he played his solos to read every single face of everyone at the barrier, and you couldn’t not smile at the excitement of the crowd members during these intense moments. To close out the set, of course, was the omnipresent anthemic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. The crowd were bouncing, singing the guitar riffs, and Peter Hook and his son Jack played their basses together in unison, beaming at each other as they made their final victory lap. Peter Hook & The Light was nothing short of perfect on what was their final night of the UK tour, delivering an amazing rendition of Get Ready (2001) and a jam-packed greatest hits set. The American and Australian fans are in for a real treat when it’s their turn soon!

Words by Ruby Macklin