New Order – Live In Glasgow
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 105 July 2008
(No Ratings Yet)
click on the stars to submit your rating
Loading …
Gone but not forgotten.
Review: After three tumultuous decades together, New Order finally imploded last summer in a welter of acrimony and verbal sniping. No sooner had the band called it a day than there were whispers of a brand spanking new concert DVD that would placate distressed fans and counter the all-encompassing bitterness that looked set to taint the band’s legacy. It’s taken a while, but the DVD is finally with us! Filmed over two nights at the Carling Academy, Glasgow, back in October 2006, the gig captures the band in their latter-day prime. Their recent albums may have been patchy and unconvincing, but when the group come together to tackle their formidable back catalogue, few bands can match them. Hook’s snaking basslines, Morris’s propulsive drums and Sumner’s breathless vocals collide to timeless effect, offering all of the proof you need of their enduring pop skill.
The concert footage is intercut with surprisingly candid interview snippets from singer Bernard Sumner, bass player Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The disparate personalities of the three principle members have always been there to see, and almost every single contribution highlights the gulf between Sumner and Hook. Hooky explains: “Bernard and I are at two ends of a seesaw” and stresses that his natural domain is the live arena, whereas Bernard is more comfortable working in the studio. The pair can’t even agree on what kind of material to plump for, with Hook favouring the “rocky” songs and Sumner preferring dance-orientated tracks. These inherent contradictions were what made the band so special over the years, and their blend of post-punk poise and acid-house vibes has been widely copied, but never bettered. With colossal hits like ‘Blue Monday’, ‘Temptation’, ‘True Faith’ and ‘Regret’ at their disposal, New Order are more than capable of holding their own. Factor in plenty of old Joy Division songs and you have a set to savour.
The solid Glasgow concert set will be more than enough to satisfy fans desperate to get reacquainted with their heroes, but the band have gone to town with the special features too, just for good measure. After raiding drummer Stephen Morris’s own personal home video archives they have come up with an impressive selection of rarities dating back to 1981. The early tracks show the band still trying to shrug off the gloomy spectres of Ian Curtis and Joy Division, and will thrill rarity hunters. Tracks from the early 80s dominate proceedings, but the bonus tracks end with a pair songs from New Order’s triumphant Hyde Park Wireless gig in 2006. Understandably, much of this material is of pretty poor quality, but I’m sure bootleggers have palmed off much worse on fans for decades.
It has been widely pointed out that New Order owe their latter-day successes to the nostalgic whims of old fans, eager to embrace their effervescent pop template in spite of the substandard new material on offer… Either way, Live In Glasgow should be a roaring success with fans eager to see the group in action one more time…
FILM: 7 EXTRAS: 6
DVD Info:
Certificate: E
Directed By: David Barnard, 2006
Distributor: Warner Music Entertainment
Audio: LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 107mins
Price: £19.99
Special Features:
Bonus Tracks:
‘Celebration 1981’:
Ceremony
I.C.B.
Chosen Time
‘Glastonbury 1981’:
Senses
Procession
The Him
‘Rome 1982’:
Ultraviolence
Hurt
‘Cork 1983’:
Leave Me Alone
Everything’s Gone Green
‘Rotterdam’:
Sunrise
As It Is When It Was
The Village
This Time Of Night
‘Toronto 1985’:
We All Stand
Age Of Consent
Temptation
‘Shoreline 1989’:
Dream Attack
1963
‘Hyde Park Wireless 2006’:
Run Wild
She’s Lost Control
Tracklisting:
Crystal
Turn
True Faith
Regret
Ceremony
Who’s Joe?
These Days
Krafty
Waiting For The Sirens Call
Your Silent Face
Guilt Is A Useless Emotion
Bizarre Love Triangle
Temptation
Perfect Kiss
Blue Monday
Transmission
Shadowplay
Love Will Tear Us Apart
