JD: 1979 Mar 01 The Hope and Anchor London
Setlist
Disorder, Glass, Digital, Warsaw, Transmission, I Remember Nothing, Interzone, Ice Age
Master recordings courtesy of Jonathan Crabb and a second unknown taper, officially released in September 2026 on the "Eternal Live" boxset.
Not counting the Rock Garden ‘77 gig when they were still called Warsaw nor the still disputed Band on the Wall tape, this is currently the earliest Joy Division live recording publicly available. Joy Division played the same basic set during most of the March 1979 shows, though this one is a little lengthier than typical, partly thanks to the two encores. Ian interacts with the notably enthusiastic audience between songs more than he would at later shows and sings with significantly punky gusto.
Exercise One
Ian: "Good evening, we're The Joy Division. ALIVE!"
This is likely a dig at a contemporaneous newspaper concert review which mistakenly added "The" to the band's name. "Alive" is possibly a reference to Frankenstein; presumably, Ian was a fan of classic monster movies, considering they'd play the soundtrack to Nosferatu over the intercom pre-show during the Buzzcocks tour in autumn 1979.
Ian (after the song): "Q."
She's Lost Control
An audience member proclaims "Yes!" a little before Ian starts singing. He accidentally starts the second verse with its second line but quickly corrects himself.
Shadowplay
Ian: “This one’s called ‘Shadowplay.’”
At the end of the second verse, the audience starts chanting, “Hey, hey, hey!”
Ian (after the song): "Q." The audience shouts and someone requests No Love Lost.
Leaders of Men
Bernard plays an extra bar of the intro arpeggio, making his barre chord late when Ian comes in.
Insight
Ian: “Q. This one’s a real heavy metal number…” I can’t make out what he says after that.
There are very minute alterations in his lyrics, here:
Guess your dreams always end
Don’t rise up, just descend
I don’t care anymore
Lost the will to want more
Not afraid, not at all
I watch them all as they fall
But I remember when we were young
Those with habits that waste
Sense of style and good taste
Making sure you were right
Yeah, don’t you know you were right!
Not afraid anymore
Keep my eyes on the door
But I remember
Tears and sadness for you
More upheaval for you
Reflects a moment in time
Some special moment in time
Yeah, we wasted our time
We didn’t really have time
But we remember when we were young
All God’s angels beware
All you judges beware
You sons of chance, just take care
For all you people not there
Not afraid anymore
Not afraid anymore
I’m not afraid anymore
Not afraid anymore
Stephen’s Synare doesn’t overwhelm the live sound during the instrumental breaks like it often would at other performances.
The Only Mistake
The guitar and bass come in slightly off sync. Ian doesn’t sing the first few lines of the second verse.
Yeah, the only mistake
Like we made once before
Yeah, the only mistake
Like we made once before
Yeah, the only mistake
Led to pressures unfound
Led to rumors unfound
…ground (?)
Yeah, the only mistake
Like we made once before
Yeah, the only mistake
Could’ve made it before
Disorder
Synare intro, which plays throughout the song. Stephen gets two bars into the drums before the bass comes in, unlike later versions where Peter would wait until after the first drumroll.
Ian mumbles a few lines during the second verse.
These sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man
Just a spirit, just a feeling, take the shock away
It’s getting faster, moving faster…
Getting faster, moving faster now, it’s getting out of hand
…backstair… (?)
Crashing, getting frequent now
Just a spirit, just a feeling, let it out somehow
He’s calling me, he’s calling you, and we will meet again
Just a spirit, just a feeling, let it out somehow
Just a spirit, just a feeling, take it out somehow
Just a spirit, yeah, just a feeling
It’s just a spirit, just a feeling
Just a spirit, oh, just a feeling
Oh, a spirit, spirit, spirit, spirit, spirit, spirit, spirit
Frenetic but sloppy ending. Ian (after the song): “Q.”
Glass
Ian doesn’t sing “Take it neat” to end the first verse. Peter loses his place in the song but regains it a bar into the second verse.
I bet you wish you’d done it again
Ian (after the song): “Q.”
Digital
False start. Ian: “Start over, here.”
Feel it closing in
Hearing someone Paul (?)
Patterns start to form
Feeling cold, then warm
Extra few bars after Ian stops singing. “Q.” An audience member shouts something like, “Do that one, do that one…!”
Warsaw
Ian: “This one you may know!” He’s a bar late singing the final verse.
Audience member (after the song): “Hey, more!”
Transmission
Surprisingly tepid audience response following this rather passionate version. Maybe everyone was just in shock?
Ian: “Q.”
I Remember Nothing
This song wasn’t “properly finished” until the Unknown Pleasures sessions, meaning this performance is more minimal and jam-like, with Bernard and Peter intentionally cutting the synth and bass out periodically, leaving just drums and vocals. Exclusive lyrics, too!
We don’t know anyone here, so
We were strangers
We were strangers
Different countries
Different culture
Different ideals
Different culture
We were strangers
Strangers who lie
We were strangers
We were strangers
Different countries
Different culture
(?)
Strangers who lie
Strangers belying
Strangers belie
Very atmospheric ending which abruptly stops with the synth.
The audience claps and roars continuously for more, some even screaming at the top of their lungs. One shouts, “Hey, you cunts! MORE!! AH! AHHH!”
The band files back onstage, quieting the crowd as some idle conversation commences. I think one person says something to Ian, but I can’t quite make it out.
Ian: “Thank you.”
Audience member: “Thank you!” Another, “That’s right.”
So begins a two-song encore.
Interzone
Ian: “This one’s for our friends in Lou. I know it’s like with outsider cities. This one’s called ‘Interzone!’”
This is the only live recording where Ian sings the primary vocal and Peter doesn’t sing at all, suggesting they worked out the dual-vocal structure to the song shortly before or during the Unknown Pleasures recording sessions.
At 0:29, the right channel drops volume. Tape movement at 1:07 until 1:10. Fade to the second recording around 1:57 which lasts until the end of “Ice Age.”
Ian: “Thank you!” The band leaves the stage again.
Tape cut at 2:14. On their website page dedicated to this gig, JoyDiv Central writes, “Ian warned the audience before the encore that the band would be repeating one of the songs already performed as they had no more up their sleeve.” According to the recording, however, that doesn’t appear to be the case, unless it happened sometime during this cut.
The audience shouts and claps for more. “Hey, hey, hey!” Someone (maybe Ian) takes the mic and riles up the crowd, shouting incomprehensible things.
Ice Age
Ian: “This one’s called ‘Ice Age.’” After the song, “Goodnight.”
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