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Arts

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By Dathan Kazsuk

It’s been a couple of years since Peter Hook & the Light graced the Triangle, and honestly, it’s felt like a lifetime. Last time around, Hooky gave us a full-force nostalgia trip with Substance—ripping through both New Order and Joy Division’s best-of compilations like a man possessed. 
 
But this time? This time, he brought something new: New Order’s 2001 album Get Ready, played live in its entirety for the first time ever. And let me tell you—it was worth the wait.
 
We rolled up to Cat’s Cradle about 45 minutes before showtime. No opener, just a steady buzz from a crowd that packed in fast. We staked our claim stage right (which we always do) and held the line, watching a sold-out sea of fans fill the room like it was 1989 all over again.
 
Now, full disclosure—Peter Hook was one of the reasons I picked up a bass back in high school. His playing wasn’t just background thump; it was melodic, emotional, a lead instrument in its own right. My old band used to slip New Order covers into our sets when we could—Blue Monday, Thieves Like Us, Ceremony. So yeah, seeing him live again still hits in that teenage-musician part of my soul.
Left to right: Peter Hook and Dave Potts performed New Order's Get Ready album on Monday, June 2 at The Cat's Cradle. Photo by Dathan Kazsuk
Hook doesn’t just play bass—he elevates it. High on the neck, drenched in chorus, and dripping with feeling. That signature style came through strong on Ceremony and Love Will Tear Us Apart, both of which lit up the room like sacred rituals.
 
At exactly 8 p.m., Hooky and the gang—Martin Rebelski, Paul Kehoe, Dave Potts and Hook’s son Jack Bates—took the stage to a roar. They dove headfirst into Get Ready, ripping through Crystal, 60 Miles an Hour, Vicious Streak, and Turn My Way, sung initially by Billy Corgan and Bernard Sumner. They also threw in Brutal (yes, that one from The Beach soundtrack with Leonardo DiCaprio) and Here to Stay, a track unfairly cut from the original album but released later as a single.
 
After a short break, the vibe shifted. We knew what was coming. Joy Division and classic-era New Order—Hooky-style. And if you’ve seen New Order live recently, you’ll get what I mean when I say this: The energy just isn’t the same. No shade, but Peter still carries that pulse in his chest.
 
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE EXCERPTS FROM THE LIVE PERFORMANCE.
 
Peter Hook did a set of Joy Division tracks after performing Get Ready. Photo by Dathan Kazsuk.
Before the next set, Hook paid tribute to Ian Curtis, Joy Division’s legendary frontman, who died 45 years ago, just before their first U.S. tour. And then—bam—Joy Division in full. Insight, Ice Age, Digital, Day of the Lords, Transmission. It was electric. Grim, beautiful and alive.
 
Then came Ceremony—that perfect bridge between bands. The bassline shimmered, sharp and mournful. I could feel it in my spine.

We even got some deep cuts: Regret and Dreams Never End, songs I hadn’t heard live in literal decades. And then it was time for the big guns. Blue Monday. Bizarre Love Triangle. Sub-culture. Temptation. And a killer surprise—What Do You Want From Me, from Hook and Potts’ ’90s project, Monaco. I bought that record back in the day at a dusty shop in Fresno, California—that doesn’t date me, does it?

And then, as always, they closed with Love Will Tear Us Apart. It’s not just a song—it’s a gut punch wrapped in a synth beat. A dance track for the brokenhearted. Still raw. Still iconic.

That’s the magic of Peter Hook & the Light. They don’t just perform the songs. They inhabit them. And for a couple of hours, so do we—the only downfall—on my feet for almost three hours. But I’ll be counting down the days until Hooky brings that energy back to Cat’s Cradle. 

Check out more stories from around the Triangle with Midtown magazine.

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