Concert Review - Peter Hook & the Light - Wellington - 10th July 2026
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Image Supplied (Tour PR - Peter Hook)
Review By - Rob Harbers
Artist/Band - Peter Hook & the Light
Venue/City - Opera House, Wellington, New Zealand
Date of Event - Friday 11th July 2026On this day of Matariki, a spot of travel was in order. Your faithful reporter, domiciled in Te Matau-a-Māui, temporarily relocated to Te Whanganui-a-Tara, driving at a little over 60 miles an hour, for the visit of Peter Hook and The Light, performing New Order’s Get Ready album, plus a selection of choice cuts from the wider New Order/Joy Division oeuvre. As a loooong-term fan of both bands, particularly New Order, I must admit I was prepared for a degree of disappointment – either with the performance not sounding like it should, or with myself for having thus far not roused myself to catch any of the band’s previous visits to these shores. Only time would tell which side of the line I’d come down on.
Bang on time at 8 o’clock, the lengthy intro to Crystal started playing, the band quickly taking their positions. Hooky took centre stage, entering at the same time as the rest of the band, eschewing a heroic entry. And we were off, with an explosive rendition kicking off this tribute to 2001’s comeback album in fine fashion.
60 Miles An Hour saw guitarist David Potts stepping up to the mic, which he and Hooky would share through the rest of the first set. Some of the lesser lights of the album took on a greater substance (no pun intended, for those at the back!), as exemplified on Turn My Way, with its particularly poignant repetition of, ‘I thought that I was right,’ hinting at a degree of self-reflection, perhaps.
The melodic outro to Vicious Streak served as a reminder, should anyone still need it, of the crucial instrumental role of Hooky’s bass to the overall texture. Slow Jam was triumphant in its declaration of, ‘I can’t get enough of this.’ Rock the Shack, with Hooky and David covering the Barney/Bobby Gillespie roles, innocently, and inadvertently, reached through time with the lyrical reference, ‘We could reach for The Light.’ – a future callback. The frenetic sequencing of Someone Like You signalled that the album proper was nearly at an end, drawing to a beautifully expressed close with Run Wild. Closing out the set with the bonus tracks Brutal and the robotic dance stylings of Here To Stay, this tribute to what, in my humble opinion, was not one of New Order’s more essential albums (more on that later) still served to whet appetites for what was to come.
In a spirit compatible with Matariki’s call to remember those who have passed, the second set was dedicated to Ian Curtis, kicking off with what Hooky described as Ian’s favourite song, Dead Souls, progressing through the punk energy of Warsaw and a powerful Isolation, to the questing Interzone. As that song’s lyrics state, ‘I was looking for some friends of mine.’ Judging by the number of people who made their way out of their seats to get front-of-stage, I think they’ve been found.
She’s Lost Control was delivered in the considerably more impactful style of the Atmosphere B-side, to my relief. I’ll probably be branded a heretic for saying this, but having come to this song firstly through that rendition, and then going backwards to the original, I have to say I found the original to be a little insipid by comparison. But I’m not here to be controversial (much), so we can have that discussion another day. This set up a powerful Shadowplay, guitarist David visibly enjoying playing these sounds. Transmission barely needed to tell anyone to ‘dance, dance, dance’ – quite a number of audience members were already doing exactly that. Putting a temporary hiatus on the Joy Division material was Decades, with its plaintive refrain of ‘where have they been?’ Indeed, where have they been?
At the crossroads between Division and Order lay the next trio of songs – Doubts Even Here, Procession and Ceremony – from the time when the embryonic New Order were still finding their way out of the shadow of their former incarnation into what they were to become. Underrated at their initial release, time has been kinder to this material, recognising the bridging role it performed. From these nascent reminiscences, a temporal shift occurred, jumping forward around five years to the opening track of what, for my money, is the definitive New Order album (Low Life), Love Vigilantes. There, I’ve said it – that album represents, to me, the absolute highpoint of their career, and I’ll fight anyone who wants to state otherwise! In any case, potential controversy aside, the next song took a sideways diversion into Hooky’s early side project, Revenge, in the form of Pineapple Face, before heading firmly back to more familiar territory with Round and Round.
A rousing True Faith had many singing along, and led into another of my personal favourites, Temptation. But before we knew it, two and a half hours and change had passed by, and it was time to end. But not without a rousing Love Will Tear Us Apart, ironically unifying in its impact, bringing band and audience together for one final expression of mutual appreciation. And then came the end. No encores or callbacks. Everything was left on the floor tonight.
What was my opinion? I fucking loved it! The only disappointment was self-directed, asking myself why I’ve slept on this however many times, and pledging to not miss it again, should the opportunity arise. So for those resident in our largest city, don’t be like me and sleep on the chance to catch the show on Saturday night! Absolutely essential stuff, doing the legacy proud. Do it!
Peter Hook & the Light ‘Get Ready’ NZ/AUS 2026 Tour PR