It would wind up being one of the last dates Joy Division played in the UK before the tragic suicide of Ian Curtis laid waste to the band’s promise of a huge future, resulting in the formulation of successor outfit New Order. Taking place on 8th February 1980, within months the dulcet-toned frontman would no longer be with us, but this recording – along with a host more – audibly proves the lasting legacy of Manchester’s finest post punk group still sounds exceptional today. Of course we know what to expect by now. Most of us have both Unknown Pleasures and Closer on the shelf or the hard drive, if not also debut 1978 EP, An Ideal for Living. But that doesn’t detract from the powerhouse of atmosphere that the outfit always created, whether on studio or concert recordings. In our opinion, this is up there with the best examples of the latter.
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