Peter Hook & The Light 'Joy Division: A Celebration' O2 Performance to Be Released on CD and Vinyl

As part of their long relationship with live concert releases, Peter Hook & The Light and Live Here Now have announced that the recent sold out homecoming "Joy Division : A Celebration" show end July 2022 at O2 Apollo Manchester was recorded in full and is now set for release as a limited edition triple CD and vinyl as well as download, all of which showcase both Joy Division albums Unknown Pleasures and Closer in full along with the additional Joy Division tracks and opening set of New Order material that also features a surprise Monaco track.

Part of what were supposed to be the band's debut gigs for the show, The Apollo show was originally planned to commemorate four decades of Joy Division's and Ian Curtis' continuing influence in May 2020 as well as the tenth anniversary of Hooky beginning his odyssey through both his bands' back catalogs but the concerts were unavoidably postponed due to the pandemic.

Fully sold out for a matter of years, The Light's Manchester return was specially awaited by fans and saw a 32 song set list performed by the group across nearly three hours.

Reactions to this very emotive show as Hooky returned to the venue where Joy Division supported Buzzcocks back in October 1979 were strong with the reviews equally admiring,

"The music is truly joyful, and Hooky belted it out with heartfelt passion. Stripping to the waist for the standing ovation, we had a living example of primal, human, animalistic purity. Peter Hook & The Light shone brighter than an exploding star and celebrated their lost friend with love. This was an experience" 5 Stars - The Reviews Hub

"It is probably the best performance and emotional reaction I've ever seen at a gig. A bass guitar is held in the air, a shirt is thrown into the crowd, the band hug each other and then they are gone. It is an end to an astounding, astounding gig. A gig I won't be forgetting for a long, long time. Wow. Simply, Wow." - All Music

"A superb performance that will live long in the memories of those lucky enough to be here." - We Shoot Music

With the full set list for the releases included below, the triple CD limited edition version of the release features the entire gig across three CDs and is limited to 2000 copies. The CD will be shipped Friday, August 26, 2022

The triple vinyl edition limited to 1000 copies includes the entire Joy Division set rounding up the encores and additional tracks and comes with a bonus CD of the New Order set to complete the package. This is available for pre-order now with anticipated shipping in April 2023.

A signed LP sized art print limited to 500 copies will accompany the download of the concert. The download will also be available Friday, August 26, 2022 but the signed prints will ship early October 2022.

The release announcement comes as Peter Hook & The Light begin their most extensive North America tour to date with the "Joy Division : A Celebration" concerts taking in some 26 dates over 22 cities in August and September.

These Joy Division album shows have become much less common for The Light as they moved through their progression of touring the New Order albums in succession. Aside from some one-off gigs such as The Roxy in LA, The Roundhouse Camden and Manchester Academy, these concerts are the first major shows for this set in some years.

Joy Division's allure and music remain strong in popular culture, holding a sincere reverence. The albums are played sequentially in track order, respecting the inspiration and impact of the stunning debut album Unknown Pleasures and the immaculately produced second Closer.

Unknown Pleasures features "Disorder," "Insight," "New Dawn Fades," and "She's Lost Control" while Closer, considered "a start to finish masterpiece" by Pitchfork Media, counts "Atrocity Exhibition," "Heart And Soul," and "Twenty Four Hours" amongst its many highlights.

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