Radar: Live_Transmission. Joy Division reimagined

Seems like everyone’s getting back together to tour their classic LP these days. All well and good, until you’re Joy Division.

Still, you can’t keep a classic back catalogue down. So we’re incredibly excited to reveal that the Philharmonic Hall will be the stage for Live_Transmission - Joy Division Reworked by the excellent Heritage Orchestra the equally spine-tingling Scanner.

A new commission, and massive hit, for the Brighton Festival (wonder why Manchester International didn’t snag it?), this audio-visual exploration sees electronic music maven Scanner, the genre-defying Heritage Orchestra, and the mind-melting graphics of Matt Watkins celebrating, and reimagining Joy Division’s stand-out tracks.

Rather than classical interpretations or cover versions, Live_Transmission dismantles and reconstructs Ian Curtis and co’s brooding beats in an immersive event that attempts to take the ferocious intensity of Joy Division’s dark, passionate and chilling canvas, Martin Hannett’s looming, spacious production and Peter Saville’s iconic graphics into a new space. Part homage, part artistic intervention, the piece has been roundly praised wherever it’s played. You can’t help wonder: is this where Joy Division’s journey would have taken them?

On stage, drummer Adam Betts, guitarist Matt Calvert (both members of Three Trapped Tigers) and bassist John Calvert (Ghostpoet) join conductor Jules Buckley and the percussive and sonic might of Heritage Orchestra in conjunction Robin Rimbaud, aka Skanner, who conjures up multilayered soundscapes from found sources, digital toolkits and mashed up samples.

Listen to the silence. Let it ring on.

Live_Transmission - Joy Division Reworked
by Heritage Orchestra & Scanner
Monday 30 September 7.30pm
Philharmonic Hall
£20, £26

Tickets from the Phil’s website, on Monday