Live at Auckland Town Hall
11 July 2026
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
The New Joy Order Division.
Peter Hook Turns Back Time in a Joy Division and New Order Masterclass.
There are some venues that become part of your own musical history.
For me, Auckland Town Hall is one of those places. Over the years I've watched everyone from the Sex Pistols to the Vengaboys grace its famous stage, proving that great music comes in many forms. Tonight, though, I'm here for something altogether different, a celebration of two of Britain's most influential bands through the eyes, ears and unmistakable bass lines of one man: Peter Hook.
Few musicians can claim to have helped shape not one, but two legendary bands. Peter Hook can.
As founding bassist and co-songwriter of Joy Division before becoming a cornerstone of New Order, Hook helped create music that continues to influence generations of artists more than four decades later. Since leaving New Order in 2007, Hook has devoted himself to preserving that legacy through Peter Hook & The Light, performing classic albums and songs with an authenticity that has earned respect from even the most devoted fans. This 2026 tour celebrates the 25th anniversary of New Order's Get Ready album, performed in full before a second set dedicated to Joy Division and New Order classics.
Ironically, both Joy Division and New Order carry names rooted in the darkest chapters of World War II history. Joy Division took its name from the "joy divisions" described in the novel House of Dolls, referring to groups of women forced into sexual slavery within Nazi concentration camps. New Order's name also carried uncomfortable historical associations, referring to the "New Order" Europe envisioned by Nazi Germany. Those origins briefly returned to public attention last year when Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wore a Joy Division T-shirt, sparking criticism from people unaware that the shirt represented a post-punk band rather than its disturbing historical reference.
I first discovered Joy Division as a teenager at my local nightclub. Every weekend I'd arrive with the latest vinyl under my arm, convincing the DJ to give my newest musical obsession a spin. The first was Love Will Tear Us Apart. Later came Blue Monday. Both instantly became dance floor favourites. Looking back, perhaps I was an influencer long before social media invented the term.
But enough nostalgia.
Tonight's show is split into two acts with no support band, allowing nearly three hours of uninterrupted music.
The opening half is devoted entirely to New Order's eighth studio album, Get Ready. Released in 2001 and dedicated to the memory of legendary Joy Division and New Order manager Rob Gretton, who passed away in 1999, the album marked a welcome return to guitar-driven songwriting after years of electronic experimentation.
From the opening pulse of Crystal through 60 Miles An Hour, Turn My Way and Someone Like You, Hook and company recreate the record with remarkable attention to detail.
The 2026 touring lineup features Peter Hook, guitarist and co-vocalist David Potts, drummer Paul "Kio" Kehoe, keyboard player Martin Rebelski and Hook's son Jack Bates, whose own résumé now includes touring with The Smashing Pumpkins. Having two bass players on stage could easily become excessive, yet instead it creates an enormous low-end foundation that fills every corner of the Town Hall.
Standing beside the sound desk, my meter peaks at 112.4 dBA, certainly loud, but it's the depth rather than the volume that impresses. The subs deliver chest-thumping frequencies without becoming muddy, creating exactly the sort of seismic bass experience you'd expect from Peter Hook.
Hook himself refuses to stand still for more than a few seconds. At 70 years old he patrols every inch of the stage, constantly engaging fans from both sides, smiling throughout, clearly enjoying every minute.
Not everything is flawless and that's exactly why live music matters.
A couple of bass notes go astray during the evening, while David Potts' vocals occasionally sound a little road-weary. Whether he's battling illness or simply feeling the effects of another long international tour, it's one of the few moments where the relentless touring schedule reveals itself. Yet those imperfections somehow make the performance more authentic rather than detracting from it.
Following Brutal and the bonus track Here To Stay, Hook announces a ten-minute interval. Nobody objects. The audience streams toward the bars and toilets with military precision before preparing themselves for what everyone knows is still to come.
After the brief intermission, the house lights dim.
Across the PA comes Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express.
Kio appears alone, laying live drums over the iconic electronic rhythm before the remaining musicians slowly emerge one by one. It's a brilliantly constructed introduction that seamlessly morphs into Joy Division's Atrocity Exhibition, immediately changing both the mood and the energy inside the room.
"I want to dedicate this whole set to Ian Curtis. God rest his soul," Hook tells the audience.
Suddenly the evening feels less like a concert and more like a celebration.
The audience itself is fascinating. Mohawk-wearing punks stand alongside sharply dressed hipsters. There are younger fans discovering these songs decades after they were written, although naturally the majority are middle-aged listeners reconnecting with the soundtrack of their youth.
For much of the night the crowd remain respectful rather than explosive, gently nodding along through Disorder, Digital, New Dawn Fades and Twenty Four Hours.
Then everything changes.
Transmission ignites the room.
For the first time all night, people abandon quiet appreciation and begin dancing, pogoing and jumping with genuine abandon. A sea of mobile phones suddenly appears above the crowd as everyone attempts to capture the moment.
The atmosphere never really settles after that.
Monaco's Tender and What Do You Want From Me provide a welcome reminder that Hook's songwriting legacy extends beyond Joy Division and New Order, before Vanishing Point builds the anticipation towards the inevitable.
Blue Monday.
Its famous programmed opening initially feels slightly underwhelming, relying almost entirely on the original electronic sequence before the band gradually enters piece by piece. Rebelski adds the synthesiser textures first, followed by Potts' guitar before Kio finally drives the whole machine forward. By the time the full band locks together, any initial hesitation has completely disappeared.
The penultimate song, Ceremony, transforms the floor into one giant moving organism. Hundreds of fans jump in complete unison, shaking the old Town Hall floor so violently that filming close-up video becomes almost impossible as every phone camera bounces uncontrollably.
And then comes the song everyone knew had to end the evening.
Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Every person in the venue is standing.
Even the seated patrons upstairs are on their feet, arms raised, singing every word.
Looking around the Town Hall, the most striking thing isn't the music.
It's the smiles.
Everywhere you look, beaming faces filled with genuine joy as thousands of fans are transported back to their teenage years. I’m calling them The New Joy Order Division.
Myself included.
Peter Hook & The Light have long since moved beyond being viewed as a nostalgia act. These performances are acts of preservation, ensuring one of popular music's most important catalogues continues to live and breathe on stage. While New Order continue in one form and Hook in another, there remains something uniquely satisfying about hearing these songs performed by the man whose unmistakable melodic bass lines helped define them in the first place.
If you're a fan of Joy Division or New Order, this isn't simply another concert.
It's essential viewing.
Set List
Set One – New Order: Get Ready album in its entirety
Crystal - New Order
60 Miles An Hour - New Order
Turn My Way - New Order
Vicious Streak - New Order
Primitive Notion - New Order
Slow Jam - New Order
Rock The Shack - New Order
Someone Like You - New Order
Close Range - New Order
Run Wild - New Order
Brutal - New Order
Here To Stay - New Order
Set Two
Atrocity Exhibition - Joy Division
Day of the Lords - Joy Division
Leaders of Men - Joy Division
Disorder - Joy Division
Digital - Joy Division
Something Must Break - Joy Division
New Dawn Fades - Joy Division
Twenty Four Hours - Joy Division
Transmission - Joy Division
Atmosphere - Joy Division
Procession - Joy Division
Age of Consent - Joy Division
Tender - Monaco
What Do You Want From Me - Monaco
Vanishing Point - New Order
Blue Monday - New Order
Ceremony - New Order
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO at Paul Was There -