New Order, Royal Albert Hall, gig review: Timeless pop songs overshadow their newer counterparts

The last time New Order played the Royal Albert Hall was all the way back in 1986. By that point, the band had already released a string of era-defining albums, making an indelible mark on the musical landscape both in Britain and farther afield.

Since then, a lot has happened: some more seminal albums (and some decidedly less seminal ones), break-ups, reformations, legal wrangling and line-up changes – most notably, the departure of bassist, Peter Hook.

Last year saw New Order release Music Complete, probably the best collection of songs they've put together since the Nineties. And it was one of the album's high points which began things back at this grand old London venue, for a show in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. “Singularity”, which built to a quick-paced chorus on a foundation of ominous bass lines and electronic flickers, was a promising, if not entirely arresting start.

It was not until seven songs in that we had our breath taken away, with the arrival of “Your Silent Face”. Appearing on the 1983 album Power, Corruption & Lies, the song exemplifies the period in which New Order began to shake loose the shackles of post-punk. And that feeling of liberation was deeply affecting here as Gillian Gilbert's synths soared, enhanced by footage of oceans and cityscapes on the big screen behind them.

With the disco-fuelled romp of “Tutti Frutti”, the crowd began to dance, and rarely did they stop until the end. Although it was the old classics to which the people moved with most vigour. “Bizarre Love Triangle” sounded fresh and enthralling as ever, and on “Temptation”, it was as if everyone took frontman Bernard Sumner's chorus quite literally: "Up! Down! Turn Around!"

The encore was opened by Blue Monday, drenched in the sound of the Eighties but still showing no blemishes of age. As it built from that unmistakeable, thudding drum beat into the dance music behemoth that it is, the entire band became a cohesive unit. Following was the one Joy Division song of the night, “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. It wasn't the darkly beautiful studio version, but in fact rather uplifting, thanks to a key change suiting Sumner's naturally sunny voice.

“Superheated”, however, the closing track both here and on Music Complete, was something of a disappointment, bubbling along but never really reaching a crescendo. And in this, we had a summation of the night as whole: there’s no doubting the new material sounds good, but when placed next to the towering pillars of pop music that stand in New Order’s past, it will always be overshadowed.