Doubts Even Here

Last years main meet & no greet was of course Freek and me going to see Jonathan Richman, this year it was just me solo going to see Section 25 featuring Peter Hook in the unlikely surroundings of Oss. Unique only dutch concert is what they advertise with. The website said they'd be playing 6 Section 25 songs and 12 Joy Division/New Order. So who'd be singing those, I wondered. I am surprised to see that De Groene Engel is somewhat like my local Doornroosje venue, and bump in to various people I know, including Mark who tipped this event for me, and Mic, Jan and Jasper. A curious gathering of goths, old grey men, some with their teenager children. Support act was Kevin Hewick, of whom I bought his first Factory 7" in what was it, 1981, and thought 'oh shit, great artwork, but they also release shitty records' (and I never got into Stockholm Monsters either). Anyway one minute of a big oversized man with an acoustic guitar is pretty much enough for me, so I joined the smokers outside (as somebody said friday night, a non-smoker actually, 'at concerts you smell all the cheap after shave and farts, I wish people would smoke again at concerts'). Then Section 25 started, without Hooky on stage, with 'New Horizon' and within minutes you know why we have to regret the death of Martin Hannett: Larry Cassidy can't hold a tune in a bucket. His brother on drums, and two youngsters on guitar and bass, were great, really great. But the singing was a major let down. They played for about 35 minutes, more than six songs that is, when Hooky comes and plays 'No Love Lost' with them. The big moment has arrived. They play a bunch of songs ('Interzone', 'Shadowplay', 'Temptation', 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', 'She's Lost Control' (with a much too loud sample I must add), 'Dreams Never End' and 'Ceremony'), of which 'Dreams' was sung by Hook, which was great, but Larry sings the rest, which again is a let down. Its a bit like seeing a Status Quo cover band featuring Rick Parfitt, if you get my drift. When things are over, people cheer, and Larry says 'you have to do better than that' (proving Tony Wilson right, with Cassidy being a big whiner), two encores are played, with Section 25 first with too many sequences running from the mixing desk, which was rather painful, with the sound continuing and the band stopping. With Hook on vocals 'Doubts Even Here' (which seemed an appropriate ending). I lurked at the backstage and see on the screen that Hook will be DJ-ing for another hour, but I have to miss that. When the man comes out, I ask for an autograph but forget the 'please' at the end (remarkable that people who use the word fucking all the time, but also need the 'please' word - there is something I fail to understand about the english language), so Hook says 'only if you say please' and walks on. I follow him and say 'oh Peter, please can I have your autograph, please' which he then does on my copy of 'Get Ready', which happens to be my favorite New Order CD (though many disagree). I pull out also the Zebra CD and Hook says, 'what's that, it looks like my Hacienda book' and says its my band and I give him the CD. He shakes my hand (I wonder how many people give him stuff, and how much will land on the bottom of the canal) and somebody asks me if I can take a picture of him and Hook, which turns out to be a great picture, and he fucks up mine with Hook. See above. Oh, well another most memorable evening has come to an end (well, in Oss, as I continue in Nijmegen of course and see various people from the concert later that night in Merleyn). Fucking hell! I wish I had a recording.