New Order - New York Felt Forum 01 August 1985

NME - BOUND FOR BILLBOARD!

NEW ORDER
A CERTAIN RATIO

New York Felt Forum

SWITCHING FROM haphazard indie distribution in the US to Quincy Jones‘ Qwest label,  distributed by Warner Brothers, has made a big difference for New Order's Stateside commercial prospects. One major signal that things are changing was that this 5,000-capacity venue sold by word of mouth alone.

The support act is the same one they had at their American debut at the tiny Tier 3 club in ’79. New Order have moved forward. A Certain Ratio haven't. 'Shack Up' may have been a nice, tightly-wound moment, but aside from that I can't see what has given these guys a reputation as some kind of mutant funk firebreathers. They have settled into a stagnant muck. The rhythms lack all attack, yet the band preens with self-importance as they play them. They end with a half-baked salsafied jam that any rag-tag Central Park Saturday ensemble could cut to shreds.

New Order, on the other hand, are revitalised by the chance to reach beyond their cult and grab a taste of wide adoration. They repay this new audience with the most sustained enthusiasm and conviction I've ever seen them muster.

They begin with 'Confusion', followed by 'Ceremony', leading us into their world with a familiar theme and then taking us back through their history. Immediately it's clear that this, unlike their ill-tempered shows here two years ago, is no run-through by rote. The sound fairly roars with force. Barney Albrecht’s guitar resonates in perfect harmony with the elegant synthesiser patterns, a satisfying balance of on-the-spot creation and pre-programmed patterns. The drums slam down on the beat like great steel trap doors, driving the body message home. Peter Hook has his bass slung low in a Rock Hero post that, given the powerful, swelling Rock the band is disgorging, is not at all out of place. Peter shows off a lot of pelvic movement for someone in a band that's supposed to be above all that.

For me, 'Temptation' remains the apotheosis of their skill - such evocative longing and almost transcendant desire translated to song. The new ''Love Vigilantes' borrows from their past but, as a way of announcing themselves to the world waiting at the other end of the Wamers pipeline, perfect. These live versions are a little slower, more deliberate than the records, but suffused with determined spirit, and rocking. And so is the audience, dancing en masse on the large floor area in front of the stage.

As the set moves into the body of the new LP, a certain stasis sets in. This is a problem. Beyond the elegance and ebullience of the singles, much of New Order's material bogs down into a formula. But the dry patch is short.

'Perfect Kiss' os the perfect crown to the set. Incisive bits of guitar wind through a swirling aural landscape, and Bernard's voice takes on a real edge of commitment to (paradoxically) some of the band's most banal lyrics.

New Order have attained a high level of power and polish. They also display a tendency to remain within the parameters of the sound they've set for themselves. Now they need to become as adventurous as they are accomplished.

Richard Grabel