Former Joy Division bass player Peter Hook will perform the band’s classic debut album ‘Unknown Pleasures‘ in full at a gig in Manchester to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of the group’s frontman Ian Curtis.
The special performance is set to take place at Hook’s new live venue the FAC251 club, which is situated at the former site of the headquarters of Joy Division’s legendary record label Factory Records. Hook is reported to be teaming up with a group of friends for the show, however the specific details on who if anyone will fill in for Curtis’ vocals have not yet been revealed.
Ian Curtis
‘Unknown Pleasures‘ was the first full album release on Factory Records, and was issued in the UK in June 1979. Shortly after the band gained further success following the release of their classic single ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart‘ nearly a year later, Ian Curtis tragically committed suicide in the early hours of 18th May 1980, just hours before the band were due to fly to the States for their first US tour.
In addition to the gig, Hook and his fellow Joy Division/New Order colleagues are spearheading a campaign to have the Epping Walk Bridge in Manchester, which was the site for various legendary Joy Division photo-shoots, to be re-named in his honour. “I think it’s fitting for him to cross Princess Parkway on a road that leads to the Hacienda,” Hook told the Manchester Evening News. “It’s right next to TJ Davidson’s rehearsal rooms, the same road as where the Boardwalk club was and where Tony Wilson’s flat still is.”
To date, over 1000 people have joined a Facebook group in support of the plans, and a petition is set to be presented before the council in Manchester to add further weight behind the campaign.