LIVE_TRANSMISSION: JOY DIVISION REWORKED
Colston Hall, Bristol | September 25th
This modern, audio-visual interpretation of the seminal Joy Division catalogue and the character of Ian Curtis – courtesy of electronic artist Scanner, the Heritage Orchestra and visual artist Matt Watkins, – begins a national tour after its initial commissioning at Brighton Festival last year. Distinctly different from Peter Hook’s current pub rock fare currently being delivered worldwide, this opus is a far more delicate flower.
The importance of the visual representations of Ian Curtis’s persona and work with Joy Division unfolded throughout the show. Blood cells float above the orchestra; projections of internal organs, skeletal cathedrals and the writings of Curtis extend outwards, morph and merge, allowing them space to form bridges between these exquisite compositions and the iconography that so strongly features within the band’s overall work and visual presentation.
The experience of hearing Joy Division’s music via the heavy timbres of an Orchestra raised expectations higher than we imagined. The subtle way in which they reworked the songs’ templates, fashioning alternative ways to interact with the audience’s preconceived impressions and memories of one of the most important bands in modern music, was hugely impressive – even if the visual elements couldn’t always quite keep up.
The intense drumming of Adam Betts and the faithfully articulate playing of Matt Calvert on guitar (both members of Three Trapped Tigers) as well as the bass work of John Calvert (Ghostpoet) formed a strong echo of each song, emphasising features that have come to be so deeply known and cherished; see the machine gun drumming of Heart & Soul, Lost Souls’ chiming guitar chords and the punk simplicity of the Transmission bassline. All these elements sat perfectly within the soaring strings and bellowing cellos of the Heritage Orchestra’s perpetual swell and decay.
The cleverest section of all was of an animated figure dancing in the unmistakeable Curtis style, breaking up then reforming as sparks flew outward as if charged by the kinetic energy. The sense of movement and composition developed an indelible symbol of the man. Live_Transmission is undoubtedly a thought-provoking and deeply involving performance, where the words and voice of this tragic individual (used for the heart wrenching version of Love Will Tear Us Apart that finished the night) move into a creative future despite his passing. Sublime.
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Words: Philip James Allen
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