Peter Hook to stream gig of every Joy Division song in tribute to Ian Curtis today

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Peter Hook is to mark 40 years since the death of Ian Curtis today by streaming a gig in which he played every Joy Division sing with his band The Light.

The 2015 concert saw Hooky perform at Christ Church in Curtis’ hometown of Macclesfield. Now, a three hour concert movie So This Is Permanent will be streamed for the first ever time today (Monday May 18) –  the 40th anniversary of the late frontman’s death. It will be broadcast from 12pm and available for just 24 hours before a DVD becomes available in June. Fans are encouraged to donate to The Epilepsy Society.

“It was the church that Ian used to go to as a kid, he was in the choir,” Hooky told NME. “We got involved and did a charity gig to save it, which we did – it’s still there. We played every Joy Division song ever written and recorded in one go. It took over four hours and I was immensely proud of it.

“Due to lockdown we can’t play right now, but we can share this celebration. It was oversubscribed by 10,000, but there were only 400 people there because the church was in quite a derelict state. Everyone who was there knew what they were there for. The atmosphere was great. Howard Marks came along and introduced us, God rest his soul.

He added: “It was tough, it was completely stupid and ridiculous, but in the end we did it and it felt absolutely wonderful to play the whole library of my absolutely favourite band.”

The show will debut online across both Joy Division’s and The Light’s Youtube and Facebook channels.

Curtis took his own life on May 18, 1980 at the age of 23. He suffered with epilepsy and depression.

• Read more: Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ at 40: How they made the unimpeachable proto-goth masterpiece

Hook’s fellow surviving Joy Division bandmates Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris will also be hosting an event to celebrate Curtis. The a free online event, ‘Moving Through the Silence: Celebrating The Life and Legacy of Ian Curtis’, will raise money for the Manchester mental health charity Manchester Mind and help mark the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week. There will talks and performances from the likes of The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers, Maxine Peake, Curtis’ friend Mark Reeder, Elbow, LoneLady, the Lottery Winners and Kodaline – more participants set to be announced this Friday (May 15).

Joy Division’s Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Ian Curtis, Peter Hook performing live onstage at Bowdon Vale Youth Club (Photo by Martin O’Neill/Redferns)Meanwhile, vinyl reissues have also been announced for the 40th anniversary of Joy Division’s ‘Closer’, along with the non-album singles ‘Transmission’, ‘Atmosphere’ and ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.

Last week, Hook paid tribute to Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider, who died aged 73. He’ll also talk through Joy Division’s classic ‘Unknown Pleasures‘ as part of #TimsTwitterListeningParty on Friday May 22.

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