Section 25 ‘Hook’ the Backdoor crowd!

Peter Hook

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Section 25, the cult Factory Records band, were joined on stage for the second half of their set by legendary Joy Division/New Order bass player Peter Hook at a packed gig at the Backdoor Music Project last night (Wednesday 23 September).

Hook, who was also a director of the iconic Hacienda night club, owned by the late Tony Wilson, and is also former co owner of Suite 16 studios in Rochdale, was co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until his departure in 2007.

Hook also contributed backing vocals on numerous Joy Division songs, sang co-lead with Ian Curtis on Joy Division's "Interzone" from the 1979 LP Unknown Pleasures, and sang lead on two New Order songs ("Dreams Never End" and "Doubts Even Here" from the 1981 LP Movement).

Asked when he came off stage for a few words, Hook was his usual outspoken self and said: “The Backdoor project is a great idea and the kids were good but they should play their own f****** songs not covers.”

Headliners, Section 25 reformed in 2007 after a decade apart. Perhaps the most maverick and enigmatic of the bands that were part of the now legendary Factory Records roster, Section 25 was formed in 1977 by brothers Larry and Vin Cassidy. Their classic northern sound defines punk and electro in one. Having worked with Ian Curtis, Martin Hannet and Bernard Sumner on four Factory albums they now record for LTM. They pre-dated ambient, chill out and massive beats by a decade.

On stage, rolling back time, they soon had the crowd rocking with their hypnotic bass lines, thrusting drums and colliding slabs of melody and feedback producing a Zen like sound.

Support at the gig came from young local Rochdale talent in the form of rappers North West Side, Two Tone (brother and sister Katrina Knight and Liam Clarke), James Roe (AKA Truffles) and Safety Pins (four seventeen year olds), who almost stole the show and are without doubt are a band to watch for the future.

Also on the bill for a surprise two song set was Rochdale’s singing Mayor, Councillor Keith Swift who took the stage in full Mayoral regalia and belted out two Sinatra songs that had the crowd singing and dancing and brought Mayor Swift huge applause and clearly a great deal of pleasure.

Clint Boon, of Inspiral Carpets fame and now a radio presenter and DJ put in a 15 minute set and said: “I lived in Milnrow and I went to art college in Rochdale, it is a great place and it is good to be here and see this exciting project. The people of the town really need to back this place.”

Backdoor Music Project organiser Carol Moore echoed those sentiments, adding: “It is really important that if people want to see this venue carry on providing live music they come and support us.”

Final words to a member of the last night’s audience, Alicia Coppola, a music promotions worker who said: “It was good to see young artists channelling their energy into music. The Backdoor Project does a great job enabling the younger generation to do this I and hope they get the backing they need to keep going.”