New Order go back to school

New Order finished their recebt mini-tour with a special performance at Oakwood High School in Eccles, Salford (November 18).

Playing in front of 200 children who weren’t even born when the band began, the gig came about after an associate of the group mistakenly rang up the school and got talking to the Deputy Head.

Frontman Bernard Sumner then visited the school, which specialises in art and technology for children with complex learning difficulties, and promptly promised to play a gig in the assembly hall for a special art class.

“I had a bad experience at school,” Sumner told NME.COM, “and it’s nice to see that the education authorities have changed their attitude towards creativity. We don’t make things in Manchester anymore since the big industries closed down, but it’s a very creative place. Just look at the bands. It’s just really nice to see the education authorities, after what I was told, investing in creativity instead of putting it on the back burner.”

Playing for little under an hour before the 3 o’clock bell, the band tore through hits old and new, with Sumner quipping; “I’d heard our audiences were getting younger! Where’s the music teacher? We can’t read music you know, it’s all up here.”

But the show was not without its share of rock’n’roll behaviour. Before dedicating ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ to head teacher Janis Triska, bassist Peter Hook said: “I promised I wouldn’t swear… but FUCK OFF!” and promptly brought the pre-pubescent house down.

New Order played:

‘Crystal’
‘Regret’
‘Krafty’
‘Turn’
‘Transmission’
‘Your Silent Face’
‘Waiting For The Sirens’ Call’
‘True Faith’
‘Bizarre Love Triangle’
‘Love Will Tear Up Apart’
‘Blue Monday’
‘Temptation’