Joy bringers







Joy Division

  Togetherness is a quality found in very few bands. 
  In these days of inflated ego, most rock outfits tend to thrive on the
opposite. The Fall, The Damned and the Sex Pistols have always tended to 
allow the separate personalities to run rampant. Each band member in 
search of his own particular goal.
  Sometimes this produces a healthy internal anarchy which is fine while 
it lasts but all to often backfires and causes all kinds of problems for
the young band.
  So, it's a very rare sight to see four individuals working harmoniously
in search of one unique sound. Any band finding themselves in this 
position are very lucky indeed. Thay can achieve almost anything 
(musically, not commercially) that they wish. they are powerful and 
dangerous. 
  Joy Division are such a band.
  The music of Joy Division is narrow-minded and stubborn. It is a tight,
dominating noise that is introverted but masterful. An implosion of 
musical ideas. A direct result of four people staring at one fixed point.
So it replaces boredom with controlled commitment. It finds it's own
perfection.
  You've heard the album. You must see the band because, as good as that
album is, it only hints at the kind of passion this band are usually able
to produce onstage.
  So far this year has given me five out of my ten favourite live gigs of 
all time. And yet... this gig surpasses the lot.
  Onstage, Joy Division are silent, moody but not corny. The guitarist 
doesn't move an inch, his face locked in concentration as he slowly builds
up the excitement. His piercing guitar notes sit snugly on top of the
moody bass. The drumming is snappy in the new disco style. It adds a touch
of light-hearted bounce to the sound. Ian Curtis spits out the vague 
lyrics. The power level rises and drops in inconsistent patterns. Orgasmic
and mind-blowing.
  During the set's many 'peaks' Ian Curtis often loses control. He'll
suddenly jerk sideways and, head in hands, he'll transform into a 
twitching epileptic-type mass of flesh and bone. Suddenly he'll recover.
The guitars will fade away, leaving the lonely drummer to finish the song 
on his own. Then, with no introduction, the whole feeling will begin 
again. Another song, another climax.
  It could be 'She's Lost Control' or 'Shadowplay' or 'Digital'. It 
doesn't really matter. The effect remains the same. A haunting, hypnotic
experience of moving, magical music.
  They could be compared to The Doors or Hawkwind but even those hefty
comparisons can't do any justice to Joy Division. They never fail to amaze 
me with their morbid genius. Sensuous, seductive and deadly.
  This band cry real tears.
 							   MICK MIDDLES
 

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