This is going on in my hometown. I was planning on being there for my friends' birthday bash so this makes it extra special.
Saturday, October 1, 9pm, $12 adv, $15 door New Order DJ Set feat. Peter Hook with guests t.b.a. Advance tickets available at Home of the Hits and New World Record, or can be reserved (and paid for via Paypal) by emailing bastazine@hotmail.com starting Saturday, August 27
Inspired by the Sex Pistols' first Northern England date (in 1976, at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall, a pivotal event memorialized in the film 24 Hour Party People), guitarist Bernard Sumner and bass player Peter Hook formed legendary British post-punk group Joy Division, and recruited troubled singer Ian Curtis. Famous for the dark intensity of its performances, Joy Division was, by 1980, England's hottest band, destined to influence countless artists throughout the 80s, 90s and up to today. Unfortunately, the band's dark persona was sealed in myth when Ian Curtis hung himself in May, 1980. Subsequently, the alternative rock anthem "Love Will Tear Us Apart" reached UK #13 and the group's new album, Closer, reached UK #6.
Devastated by Curtis's suicide, Joy Division immediately disbanded, only to re-form soon after--with the addition of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert--as New Order. With Sumner assuming vocal duties, the new group debuted in March 1981 with the single "Ceremony," a darkly melodic effort originally composed for use by Joy Division. The LP Movement followed a few months later, and when it too mined territory similar to New Order's previous incarnation, many observers were quick to dismiss the band for reliving former glories. However, with its next single, "Everything's Gone Green," the quartet first began adorning its sound with synthesizers and sequencers, inspired by the music of Kraftwerk as well as the electro beats coming up from the New York underground; 1982's "Temptation" continued the trend, and like its predecessor was a major favorite among club-goers.
After a year-long hiatus, New Order resurfaced in 1983 with their breakthrough hit "Blue Monday"; packaged in a provocative sleeve designed to recall a computer disk, with virtually no information about the band itself -- a hallmark of their mysterious, distant image -- it perfectly married Sumner's plaintive yet cold vocals and abstract lyrics with cutting-edge drum-machine rhythms ideal for club consumption. "Blue Monday" went on to become the best-selling 12" release of all time, moving over three million copies worldwide. After releasing their brilliant 1983 sophomore album, Power, Corruption and Lies, New Order teamed with the then-unknown producer Arthur Baker to record "Confusion," another state-of-the-art dance classic, which even scraped into the American R&B charts.
Heralded by the superb single "The Perfect Kiss," New Order resurfaced in 1985 with Low-life, their most fully realized effort to date. Brotherhood followed in 1986, with the single "Bizarre Love Triangle" making significant inroads among mainstream pop audiences. A year later the group issued Substance, a much-needed collection of singles and remixes; it was New Order's American breakthrough, cracking the Top 40 on the strength of the newly recorded single "True Faith," which itself reached number 32 on the U.S. pop charts. The remixed "Blue Monday 1988" followed, and in 1989 -- inspired by the ecstasy-fueled house music that their work had clearly predated and influenced -- New Order issued Technique; their most club-focused outing to date, it launched the hits "Fine Time" and "Round and Round."
After recording the 1990 British World Cup Soccer anthem "World in Motion," New Order went on an extended hiatus to pursue solo projects. New Order reconvened in 1993 for their biggest hit to date, Republic, which earned the band its highest charting American single ("Regret") and fell just shy of the U.S. Top Ten. "Brutal," the first new effort from New Order in a number of years, was featured on the soundtrack of the 2000 film The Beach, and the full-length Get Ready followed one year later. A new compilation titled New Order - The Singles will be released by Warner Music on October 3rd. \
At sound lab.
