This week saw many celebrations of Ian Curtis’s life, as the 30th anniversary of his death occurred on Tuesday – but one acclaimed Irish tribute band will be retiring from a long career of commemorating the Joy Division frontman later this month.
The Music of Joy Division is led by Ger Meade, who was 15 when his band played their first gig in Dublin’s White Horse venue in May 1990. The band played several tribute gigs until 1992, when they split following the tragic death of their drummer. A new line-up then reconvened in 1999 ahead of a 20th anniversary gig, when they played a 1½ hour set to a sold-out Dublin crowd. The quintet have been sporadically gigging since, but have decided to call it quits for good after their upcoming gigs in Kelly’s, Galway (May 28th) and Crawdaddy, Dublin (May 29th).
“It’s been a long time. It just feels right to end it now, somehow,” said Meade. “We don’t pretend to be Joy Division, and I certainly don’t mimic Ian – we just play the music and invite folks to enjoy it with us, because we love playing it.”
Other events planned for Curtis’s anniversary include a walking tour and exhibition, and the performance of Joy Division Symphony, a collaboration between schoolchildren and the Northern Chamber Orchestra, which both take place in Macclesfield – where Curtis grew up – this summer.
