John Peel Tribute, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
No Finnish death metal, but plenty of his favourites
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Your support makes all the difference.There may have been no Finnish death metal, but the event somehow covered a broad expanse of the music most dear to his heart. That included the figure most closely associated with Peel, crotchety new wave icon Mark E Smith. Just as the DJ outlasted his career's natural shelf life Smith's band the Fall continue to release bile-ridden gobbets. Smith was at his dissonant best, showing the way to young pretenders he has influenced by knocking over a mike stand and spitting out chewed book lyrics.
Similarly unreconstructed were reggae veterans Misty in Roots. They retained enough fire to ensure their righteous stance still sounded relevant. In between, Laura Cantrell soothed raw nerves with her elegant if reverent take on classic country.
New Order are a band with their own tragic story. Peel was the first champion of their early incarnation Joy Division, so the shadow of its singer Ian Curtis hung heavier than usual over proceedings. They rose to the occasion with a full, albeit, short set of that line-up's classics. Bernard Sumner's dry voice was no match for Curtis's fragile passion, but the gesture was the perfect climax to a memorable evening.
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