LIVE REVIEW: Peter Hook and The Light, Man Of Moon, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow, 10/06/2026

Peter Hook needs little introduction. From the days of being part of Joy Division and the iconic Love Will Tear Us Apart song to New Order’s Blue Monday Hook has cemented himself a place in the UK rock icons book. Our only 2026 summer trip down to Kelvingrove Park bandstand has the amphitheatre looking amazing in the evening sunshine, there is always a risk with the weather for an artist booking an outdoor show during the sometimes unpredictable Scottish summer but tonight it all works out perfectly.

As we arrive Glaswegian duo Man Of Moon have just taken to the stage with a decent sized crowd down early to check them out, we saw these guys support GlasVegas only a couple of months ago so knew what we were going to get from them, their music has elements of Krautrock, electronic and psychedelia and the crowd respond with a huge applause after each song. Vocalist/guitarist/bassist Chris Bainbridge and Iain Stewart on drums had the full attention of the growing crowd and hats off to the Peter Hook camp for allowing Man Of Moon a full fifty minutes on the stage tonight, Bainbridge later thanks Peter Hook for allowing them to support him and that they have been fans since childhood. The duo have released two albums to date – Dark Sea in 2020 and MACHINISM in 2024 – the best of the set for us would have to be The Road, Time and Sign. 7/10

We are so used to Peter Hook playing a marathon set as he did the last time he played in Glasgow at Barrowland the O2 Academy, we counted no less than thirty songs that night including two Joy Division albums and at his most recent show at Manchester Academy the band played a jaw dropping thirty five tracks. We would only get half of that number tonight and we could call this a greatest hits show of Joy Division & New Order with a little Monaco thrown in for good measure … nobody was complaining though, this was by far our best night at the bandstand, the crowd were so connected to the music and it turned into one big party!

At 9pm Peter Hook & The Light took to the stage, there is a real buzz of anticipation around the amphitheatre as the band walk on to Kraftwerk track Trans Europe Express. The first part of the set is completely focused on the music of Joy Division and their two albums Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980), it is a very knowledgeable crowd that are in tonight as we all sing along to No Love Lost, Digital and the always atmospheric Isolation, we are only three song in and the whole of Kelvingrove is electrified. Peter Hook is joined on stage by his son Jack Bates who is also playing bass as well as three former members from Peter’s 1990s side project Monaco, namely David Potts on guitar & backing vocals, Paul Kehoe on drums and Martin Rebelski on Keyboards/synth.

Joy Division played their first gig way back in 1976 so this could be considered a 50^th anniversary tour, we are so used to the band playing two Joy Division albums in full as they have did the last twice we saw them in Glasgow at Barrowland and the O2 Academy, turning both nights into a marathon of music! Tonight is more gentle on the body as we continue to sing along with a number of Joy Division numbers including Disorder, Shadow Play and She’s Lost Control, the late Ian Curtis would be proud to hear that these songs are being kept alive by his close friend Peter Hook after all these years. Transmission and Atmosphere end the Joy Division section of the set and we then get a tribute to the late Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield, the former Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist sadly passed away last year, Peter was in the band Freebase with Mani so had a close personal relationship with him. The crowd listen on silently for this one – You Don’t Know This About Me – and show great appreciation afterwards, RIP Mani.

Monaco feature on the setlist tonight with Shine and the brilliant What Do You Want From Me being the selected songs, the crowd push things up a little for the latter track as we all belt out the chorus back to the stage “what do you want from me, it’s not how it used to be/you’re taking my life away, ruining everything”, the bandstand is so full of energy now and you can feel the happiness and joy filling the air around us. After the two uplifting songs from the Monaco back catalogue the remainder of the set now focuses on the music of New Order kicking off with Bizarre Love Triangle and The Perfect Kiss, the crowd response is great but it is the next song that steals the show, a song that is known all around the world: Blue Monday. This track is iconic and instantly recognisable, the bass lines from Peter Hook & Jack Bates are thumping through our chests while keyboard wizard Martin Rebelski brings the dance vibes to the amphitheatre, if there was a time for the crowd to let go of any inhibitions then that time is now. It is hit after hit now as the crowd excitedly ponder what the next song will be, Temptation is followed by True Faith, another massive takeaway highlight for the memory bank, to be honest though the full show has grabbed us right from the start in what must be the best show we have witnessed at the bandstand.

As we move towards the end of the show Ceremony is a joy to hear while the last track is another Joy Division one, the renowned Love Will Tear Us Apart, we even get an extended version tonight that prompts a massive singalong … it really is like one big party now, we could have done with another five songs here to keep the party going but this truly was a special performance that will live with us for a long time, ‘haste ye back’ Peter Hook & The Light! The band played at Lincoln Castle the following night and will embark on a tour of Australia & New Zealand before heading over to USA & Canada in August, now that’s some itinerary! 10/10

Written by: Alan Brown