Peter Hook & The Light perform at The Warfield in San Francisco on Sept. 21, 2024. Derek Fisher/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Legendary bassist Peter Hook delivered what amounted to two headlining sets from his pair of  influential bands Saturday night at the Warfield. Fronting Peter Hook & The Light, he…

Darker Waves festival in Huntington Beach, Calif. on Nov. 18, 2023. Courtesy. HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The inaugural Darker Waves turned out to be totally tubular, as thousands of fans – who still deeply love the ‘80s – turned out to see Tears for Fears, New Order, Human League…

Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy performs live at The Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1978. Photo by Richard McCaffrey/ Michael Ochs Archive/ Getty Images. Nov. 5 is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction day. So it’s time to remember once again that the Rock and Roll Hall…

Andrew WK gave everyone the permission to party hard. Yes, even to Cat Stevens. This week Spotify rolled out its annual Year in Review app, for subscribers to see what their top songs and artists of 2019 were. This year, since 2020 is right around the corner, they stretched…

Peter Hook and the Light perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 8, 2019. Photos: Martin Lacey. SAN FRANCISCO — Since 2010, Peter Hook has been bringing New Order and Joy Division albums back to life by playing them in their entirety on tour with his band…

Peter Hook performs at Royal Albert Hall in London on Sept. 29, 2018. Courtesy Jody Hartley. The warm laugh from the other end of the phone line seems out of character for Peter Hook. As the bassist for minimalist and melancholy English band Joy Division, and then synth-pop pioneers…

In Paul Simon’s 1980 film One Trick Pony, a diminutive performer has just left the stage after pouring his heart into sweet songs of longing with complex jazz chords to a lukewarm reception from the audience. He stands at the side of the stage as the B-52s launch into the…

Do you recognize these skinny boys? I really, really wanted to include “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the 1983 top 5 song list. You know the “so bad it’s good” genre of movies? Stuff like Plan 9 From Outer Space and Manos: The Hands of Fate? “Total Eclipse of the…

When listening to New Order’s new live album, NOMC15, it’s phenomenal to think that most of the band has been playing together for more than 40 years. The reminders come in the tightly orchestrated introductions and delicate details layered under the synth and guitars. NOMC15 New Order May 26…

Holy Ghost!, courtesy. Following the somewhat surprising success of their debut album and extended tour, Brooklyn’s Holy Ghost! returned home and found themselves in an unfamiliar situation. “I think Keith Richards called it post-tour depression – I read it in his book,” said Alex Frankel, half of the synthpop…