Concert: Thursday 1986-10-02 3:30:00 AM, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom - New Order Online

At the ripe age of 16 and together with six school mates we headed off into deepest Ladywood for our first live exposure to the band known formerly as Joy Division. JD and NO were a bit of a cult band at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield with a couple of mates being influenced by their older brothers, one of whom at been at the last ever JD gig at Birmingham Uni. Blue Monday had obviously influenced us but it was Lowlife that did the trick and the opportunity to see them live could not be missed.
So, on to the gig, we eventually got into the venue at @ 8.30pm and the first support was The Wonder Stuff, their third or so gig I think. Not bad, fast guitars and the first hearing of "Unbearable" a top track. Then onto the Happy Mondays, a bunch of extremely pissed skinheads. Birmingham didn't know what had hit it! Soon most of hit was hitting the Mondays with beer and ashtrays flying at the stage.
The Tower Ballroom (which still exists) was a top venue and favoutite of New Order, being the third time they had played it. There were two 12ft plastic palm trees in the middle of the dance floor which were somehow still there at the end of the gig.
And so to New Order, the crush at the front was a nightmare and I soon lost one of my shoes and had to move back bumping into various gangs of lads moshing, this went mentle by Sunrise the third song. Having moved back I had the chance to watch the band in action and they were enjoying it. The start to Thieves Like Us was completely out of tune and Gillian just laughed. Towards the end of the set a storming Temptation (always my favourite). Hooky then uttered the words "and how do you follow that you may say, well this is how" before moving into the opening lines of Ceremony which nearly brought the house down. State of the Nation and a double encore of Wierdo and the Perfect Kiss followed but nothing could top the Temptation and Ceremony double bill.
A fantastic night and I was hooked. Was anyone else there?

Mark Smith