Review: New Order with The Australian Chamber Orchestra Vivid at The Sydney Opera House 2 June.
With over three and a half decades of New Order history, who would have thought they would be standing on The Sydney Opera House Stage, with an Orchestra none the less?
After a successful and energetic opening night in Sydney, New Order were here for night number two to attempt something they had never done before. Mixing the ingredients of this iconic synth-rock-pop outfit with the Australian Chamber Orchestra is intriguing and a nice choice for this 2016 Vivid Festival.
Supposedly with limited time to rehearse with the strings, there is an air of expectancy and vibrancy in the crowd as the venue lights dim. Not only are the musicians ready for a step into the unknown, the fans who adore this band were excited to be in their presence but the buzz around the venue was how was this going to come across?
‘Elegia’ kicked off with the ACO doing a marvellous job and once Sumner, Gilbert Morris and when the rest of the band kicked in with Singularity and the pulsating beat the Opera House Concert Hall was transformed into an elegant nightclub. Sumner’s voice was full bodied and the volume and mix was grand.
Throughout the night the backdrop of gorgeous videos from divers leaping into Sydney Harbour in slow motion to other intriguing imagery, the performance was sonically and visually excellent. The ability to lose yourselves in the sound of Gilbert’s synth beauty and the peerless rhythm section of Tom Chapman on bass and Morris on drums had people out of their seats early on in the gig.
‘Restless’ was ignited and the audience found themselves grooving with the band and then the multitude of strings would kick in and the fullness of these songs was increased tenfold. Any idea that seeing New Order with an Orchestra was going to be a staid affair could be dismissed. It was enthralling and captivating. This was only four songs into a set that would continue to amaze.
By the time ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ was launched into the gathering was on their feet, either in the aisles or near their designated seats. With everyone singing along and lapsing into nostalgic memories that this music had lodged in their DNA, you could feel the positivity filling the room. New Order truly had discovered a fabulous way to add to their musical sound with the ACO. Why they had never done something like this before is a question that was probably on the minds of many.
With the line-up that has been solidified since the 2011 reunion, after 37 years New Order are a machine that is well oiled and operating at top efficiency. ‘True Faith’, ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘Temptation’ had this harbour setting throbbing before the encore.
The encore was a fitting visual and audio tribute to Ian Curtis and Joy Division. A trio of Joy Division songs: ‘Atmosphere’, ‘Decades’ (which had not been played live since Curtis’s demise) and the truly perfect ending of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.
There was nothing left to do but show our pleasure with a rapturous standing ovation. That’s the way it goes, until next time.
