New Order at Bristol Amphitheatre, July 2019 (Jessica Bartolini for Live4ever)
A gorgeous summer’s evening next to the river is the perfect environment to watch New Order.
Their joyous melding of guitars, keyboards, synths and other electronics has soundtracked many a summer, and hopefully many more. As we all know, it became so shiny that it’s now a stark contrast to their output as Joy Division but the people of Bristol, hosting the band for the first time in 35 years, are rewarded for their patience tonight (July 18th) with a bit of both.
The set is a masterclass in balancing audience expectations, keeping themselves engaged and also throwing out a few surprises.
It’s guesswork on behalf of the band, but it’s a common strand for groups to want to play their newer material. While the tracks from their most recent album (now four years old) could hardly be considered new, it’s probably important for the band dynamics that they play something from the present day (i.e. since the new members joined the fold). Fortunately, Music Complete stands up well next to any of their classic records, and is given good exposure.
The set begins with the propulsive Singularity, complete with a bravura, heavyweight drumming performance from Stephen Morris. It’s immediately followed by 2015’s Restless, Bernard Sumner doing a good impression of Pete Townshend with his extravagance on the guitar. Later on in the set, the disco stomp of Tutti Frutti (complete with mandatory Dad dancing from the frontman) gets the place moving, and the sneering Plastic is placed next to a run of hits but doesn’t seem out of place.
As for the hits, which is why most people probably came out, the only complaint could be the lack of their own personal favourite, as all other bases are covered. Bizarre Love Triangle follows Sub-Culture in a one-two punch mid-set before a run of classics takes us to the end of the main set.
The dichotomy of the euphoric music against Sumner’s grounded vocal style has always been the latter’s USP. The watertight Perfect Kiss is a lesson in aspiration which batters the ears and eyes, while True Faith is splashed with befitting balaeria to increase the endorphins. We are teased with the familiar bass of Blue Monday before they give the crowd what they want (with the accompanying light show as grandiose as one could hope), and the main set closes on Temptation which now comes with orchestral flourishes and a frankly demonic outro on the electric guitar.
Earlier in the set, Your Silent Face acts as a palette cleanser following a run of three Joy Division classics. Celebrating its 40th year, Unknown Pleasures is one of the most iconic albums of all time, if only for the artwork (go to a festival and you’re never more than 100 yards from a t-shirt) and demands acknowledgment. Bravely, early on in the set we are treated to a run of three classics (She’s Lost Control, Shadowplay and Transmission) which, given their placing, is a canny move; those in the crowd that weren’t moved by newer material certainly would be by these. If not, they’re at the wrong gig.
A bigger surprise is left for later on, the first song of the encore being Decades. Grainy footage of Ian Curtis and the rest of the band provides the backdrop, the opening line of, ‘Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders’, given considerably more depth. It’s a poignant moment, and evidence that Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris have stopped trying to outrun their past, acknowledging that they never will.
Nor should they, especially as it gave them the majestic Love Will Tear Us Apart, unquestionably one of the greatest songs of all time and the only choice to end an unforgettable evening.