Who would have thought that a promising band named Joy Division, having lost their seemingly irreplaceably brilliant frontman, Ian Curtis, in 1980, would regenerate almost immediately into New Order – to become the forebears of the electronic pop movement, achieve mainstream global success and still be doing it 45 years later?
As a sea of fans slowly put aside their pints and made their way into Perth’s RAC Arena on Wednesday night, local indie success story Great Gable opened proceedings. Their at times psychedelic shoegazey alt-rock may have seemed an unusual choice on this occasion, but they passed the acid test – from their oldest song, Drift, to their newest single, Hazy – by attracting dancers before a performance by one of the world’s most danceable groups, receiving a sincerely warm reception by set’s end. Vocalist/guitarist Alex Whiteman proclaimed amazement at having landed the slot but, with several European tours already up their sleeve, this evening was simply another step on the way up for this Perth band.
The origins and history of New Order are well known and loved, and certainly were front and centre at the opening show of their Australian tour. A packed venue bristled with predominantly middle-aged enthusiasm – although there were a pleasing number of late-teens and 20-somethings – as the lights dimmed and the opening of Wagner’s Das Rheingold soundtracked a video sequence of slow-motion high divers descending into the waters below, a visual theme etched from New Order’s 2017 live album, Nomc15.
It was an eerie introduction, broken somewhat as the band casually sauntered onstage with vocalist/guitarist Bernard Sumner saying: “Hello Perth, city of friendly people … so far, anyway. It’s a nice city, here we go.” The dynamic immediately changed again as the band crashed into Joy Division’s debut single, Transmission, drummer Stephen Morris leading the freneticism of the 1979 anthem. New Order are thought of in terms of pop/dance music and synths, but it’s tougher stuff than that.
The warm welcome from the crowd was reciprocated with the rough-hewn pop of Crystal, the band bathed in shades of purple, blue and red. The even sweeter Age Of Consent (from 1983’s Power, Corruption & Lies) featured a long line of excellent guitar interplay between Sumner and guitarist Phil Cunningham (who also shined on the breezy stomper Be A Rebel), but the mood changed again with another Joy Division offering, Isolation, and a never-before-performed B-side, Player In The League, making its live debut. It just goes to show that for all their known and popular history New Order are happy to twist the melon when they want.
Eighties dancefloor hit Bizarre Love Triangle arrived unannounced but when the main keyboard line came in from Gillian Gilbert the love came out and suddenly thousands of phones lit up the arena. It was the dance that everyone seemed to be waiting for, even if it was somewhat squishy on the floor. It segued immediately into 1989’s Vanishing Point, a classic New Order offering seemingly drawing from Jean-Michel Jarre, with bassist Tom Chapman getting all the hooks right (and so much more) while lasers shot into the back of the venue as it pulsated like the days of yore at Manchester’s Haçienda club.
Sumner gave thanks to a local dentist who had seen him during the band’s Perth stay – “You’ve got really great dentists!” – before 1987’s True Faith, another fan favourite, which was accompanied by footage from the original music video, a happy reminder of the visual quirks of that decade now long gone. The intro of Blue Monday – the highest selling 12-inch single of all time – brought tangible excitement from the get-go. Perhaps the finest combination of beat and bass ever laid down on tape, it feels iconic just witnessing it being performed.
On the home stretch, Temptation set the arena alight in a mirrorball swirl; New Order then ended as they had begun, with a salute to their beginnings, as the words “Forever Joy Division” were displayed on the video screen along with footage of Curtis performing 1980’s Decades. They finished with a heartfelt rendering of the now hymn-like Love Will Tear Us Apart.
The history was undeniable and indeed the joy was writ large. New Order are still a force for the ages.
New Order’s Australian tour continues through March
