New Order #4 1985 04 09 Tower Ballroom Birmingham

UPDATED

To include a better scan of the review, and my photocopy of the original ticket (which I have a feeling was light blue)

Another trip out of the South East to see New Order. Like Tiffany's, the Tower Ballroom is no more, closing in 2017. It had been the location of a classic New Order gig less than two years previously, and had a few songs in common too.

Back in 1984 (Monday March 25 in fact) when I rang to get tickets for New Order, they didn't even take cheques - I had to pay by postal order, which is like something out of Billy Bunter!

The door ticket was not a glorious thing, but I held on to it nonetheless....

And this is a copy of my original, secured by postal order...

My mates and I drove up from South Essex, and got to the Tower, right next to the Edgbaston reservoir, about 6.30 (ridiculously early). 

Waiting outside, we heard both Age of Consent and Love Will Tear Us Apart being soundchecked, and a little later were let in, with the doors promptly being shut behind us. The place was virtually empty, with some staff behind the bar and the band on stage, still soundchecking. In fact, on the bootleg I have which includes some of the soundcheck, at the 24 minute mark, following Elegia and just before This Time of Night (which I still thought was called "Without You"), Peter Hook clearly says "You alright lads" to us.

We decided to take up position at the very front of the stage, which to date has been the closest I've seen them. This meant I was there for the whole of the Stockholm Monsters' support set (which I wasn't impressed with) before being just in front of Gillian in her customary position on the left of the stage. Sadly smartphones were not around then, as that location would have resulted in some great close up shots of the band.

Sunrise acted as a great opener to the set, and was the first of six songs from the upcoming Low Life. Still being fairly unfamiliar to most people, there were no great whoops of recognition when it started. The Perfect Kiss, on the other hand, was more recognisable and included Barney's own whoops. In this version he was playing with his big fat cock rather than a gun. Another superb rendition with lots of extra guitar flourishes at the end.

From there, into This Time of Night (still with no conversation with the audience). Some mutterings before Elegia, the last track from Low Life for me to catch live and delivered to a largely silent audience.

Sooner Than You Think was followed by some exchanges with the audience, with Subculture being introduced as "This song's called Fucking, it's all about Birmingham" and further changes to the lyrics that were similarly filthy.

All the subsequent songs featured in the previous Tower Ballroom gig. Leave Me Alone (which I would only hear once more live after this show) was great of course, and Denial is where Barney made the Killing Joke reference (see review below) to a part of his guitar playing. 

"Don't like one, so we're gonna play this instead" was the introduction to Age of Consent, featuring somewhat out of tune guitar at the beginning, Barney losing it at times and some screeching feedback in the central section. Tonight was one of the occasions where a segue took place, this time into Temptation, although this was brought back down to earth by Barney insisting "I'm not a cunt, I'm not a cunt. I can hear you.. and I know what you look like". More feedback ended the song, with a comment about being twice as cheap as Howard Jones.

The encore was for the "ones who stayed" and the red bass appeared, heralding Confusion. Barney referred to Arthur Baker being at the gig that night. Not one of my favourites of theirs, I have to confess.

Set and song timings
Sunrise	5:44
The Perfect Kiss	8:48
This Time of Night	4:28
Elegia	6:06
Sooner Than You Think	5:21
Subculture	4:49
Leave Me Alone	4:10
Denial	4:05
Age of Consent	4:55
Temptation	7:54
Confusion	6:28

The gig was favourably reviewed in the music press (I think this is from Melody Maker):

PERFECT ORDER

NEW ORDER
Tower Ballroom, Birmingham

THIS is a remarkably assured and credible performance by New Order tonight, which shocked me out of a tired indifference. They displayed a clear command and control which promises well for the future, carrying on determinedly from their doodling habits of appearing content with being clever within small spaces - the exciting moments of sparkle and perception stirred perversely with that notorious sullen defensiveness.

Tonight they unveiled a careful clasp of new songs - unannounced, of course, but I discovered their names are "Sunrise", "Perfect Kiss" and "Sooner Than You Think". They all express an immediate warmth and accessible sensitivity, a full sound of gorgeously measured simplicity. For a group whose unique struggle must always be to be considered against that giant, intimidating past, surviving the pressures of misguided critical hyperbole, it is a deliciously orientated new achievement.

Their past development is still faithfully organic, but now they have clearly been applying themselves - intuitively and methodically - towards this poised, magnificent coherence. What New Order have done, against nearly all the odds, is to bring forward a flowing, epic music of still concentration and move silently into the core of that music, place themselves dead centre. There are no lazy incidentals, no weakening. From there they can guide themselves in easily, leave the lonely place when necessary. This is how they should be.

Large and looming, the nervey "Perfect Kiss" typifies this New Order, vibrant and bouncing with life and curiosity. Now they maintain a spectacular balance with no vulgar attempt to force our attention. Their invaluable, considered reserve, often wrongly seen as arrogance, underlines that they're not selfishly dominant, imposing upon us; they're merely opening up, as we watch, worlds of possibilities. The space between us and them is defined and used, but not harshly crammed full - a consideration is at work. Only the Cocteaus and, occasionally, The Smiths are currently being as undemonstrative as this, as elegantly caught up in themselves.

The night's highlight is a mesmeric, swirling "Temptation", but "This Time Of Night" sounds like a new classic. A fresh surprise - with understanding moving inside themselves, the band have scope to become more outgoing. Peter Hook tightens and leans into his jangling, rolling guitar. Bernard has a fine irony and even a joke; "Killing Joke" he cracks after "Little Dead" opens with an unexpectedly harsh guitar crescendo. They are no longer stoic statues!

There is nobody doing this better at the moment. New Order's confusions and hesitations have been replaced by a serene control, a redefinition which means they may have come full circle since the sublime turmoil of Joy Division. This profound, lucid ease they have nurtured, as quietly as possible, remains unprobed by most, but they have kept their eyes on the target and concentrated on themselves, and have now arrived, refreshed. Anything but living on past glories! They are alive.

This could be their peak.

IAN GITTINS

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Footnotes

Two gigs were attended between Leeds and Birmingham. The first on Saturday 2nd March 1985 was A Certain Ratio at the Pink Toothbrush.

The set included Life's A Scream, The Fox, Shack Up, Knife Slits Water and Si Firmi O Grido - twice - the second time as a "head banging encore". So having said that OMD were the only band I could recall playing a song twice in the same show, I am now proved wrong.

Second was the Jobs for Youth tour at Southend Cliffs Pavilion on Thursday 21 March 1985, with Porky the Poet (i.e. Phill Jupitus), The Sid Presley Experience and Billy Bragg. 

The Sid Presley Experience were really good, and I bought their version of "Cold Turkey" on 12" not long after. 

Billy Bragg was joined by Phill Jupitus for his cover of The Clash's Career Opportunities, and we were treated to his Route 66-inspired A13, Trunk Road to the Sea, which obviously went down well in Southend.

1. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty
2. Like Soldiers Do
3. Richard
4. St Swithin's Day
5. A New England
6. The Marriage
7. It Says Here
8. The Island Of No Return
9. The Saturday Boy
10. Which Side Are You On?
11. The World Turned Upside Down
12. A Lover Sings
13. The Milkman Of Human Kindness
14. The Man In The Iron Mask
15. From A Vauxhall Velox
16. A13 - Trunk Road To The Sea
17. Days Like These
18. To Have And To Have Not
19. Between The Wars
20. Career Opportunities