Always Manchester's most reluctant superstars, Joy Division's story is remarkable in itself. The fact they even survived something as monumental as the suicide of their original singer Ian Curtis when they were in their early 20s in itself shows great reserves of character, but to regroup under the name NEW ORDER and slowly go about forging a separate - and equally recognisable - sound for themselves and go on to worldwide success (albeit via the harrowing collapse of their ultra-perverse independent label Factory Records en route) is something else again. Despite stiff opposition from The Smiths, Oasis and more great bands than we have pages for, they're still arguably the greatest Manchester band of all time and this DVD goes some way to demonstrating why.
Filmed at two very different stages of their 'career' by original Factory Records USA boss Michael Shamberg, "3 16" is basically an in-concert DVD, but it's hard to reconcile the two equally fascinating sets of footage representing the same band, such is the stark contrast between the two.
Originally released as the Factory IKON video "Taras Shevchenko", the concert from November 1981 catches the still fledgling New Order on the cusp of their first album "Movement", the group's swansong with producer Martin Hannett, and struggling to free themselves of the long shadow cast by their recent past as Joy Division and the loss of their charismatic vocalist.
In historic terms, it's the more intriguing of the two films. Obviously, the whole band look extremely youthful and earnest, though I'd wager Gillian Gilbert's now pretty embarrassed by her ridiculous haystack hairdo and pounds of make-up. The venue - the Ukrainian National Home in New York - is perverse and obscure and pretty much par for the course in the band's early days, when both an idealistic desire not to kowtow to the regular concert circuit and a drive to ensure ticket prices remained low often found New Order playing curious halls and clubs off the beaten track.
The hall is dark and cavernous, while the lighting is simple and largely kept to a minimum, although the large ikon-style painting above the band does lend a certain presence and gravitas to the affair. The sound quality's good, though at this stage, New Order were irascible, taciturn and plainly still nervous onstage. Stage pronouncements are non-existent, with Barney Sumner largely staring out over the audience and hanging on to his mic stand for dear life when not strumming furiously. Peter Hook, meanwhile, adopts his customary muscular stance, thrusts his bass low and spends half the gig with his back turned to the crowd. Steve Morris, though, is compulsive viewing, sweating and twitching behind the drums, while pounding away with intense concentration.
They play the (then) regular 45 minutes, with "Everything's Gone Green", a rushed but exciting "Procession" and a stinging "Denial" starring. At times they falter a little (like during "Ceremony") and sometimes they seem unbearably self-conscious and po-faced ("Truth"), but certainly they're already looking to push their sound forwards, as the closing, unfinished version of "Temptation" - with those primitive, motorik sequences - demonstrates. Within 18 months of this gig, they would deliver "Blue Monday" to the world and - as they say - the rest is history.
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Fast forward 17 years and the second gig finds the band back together after a lay-off of almost five years, during which time most people had written them off for good. You'd never know from the confident way they attack their set at the 1998 Reading Festival, though.
Barney says more in his brief introduction ("We're New Order, this is Reading, you're the audience, let's rock the fuckin' house") than he does throughout the entire New York performance, while the opening "Regret" alone ensures the band sound like conquering, untouchable heroes.
It's a vintage set. "Touched By The Hand Of God" and "True Faith" are reworked and arrogantly show off their new rippling biceps; "Temptation" still sounds box fresh after all these years and Barney dispenses with his guitar and dances around like Rick bloody Astley during "Bizarre Love Triangle." Not surprisingly, they get away with it, the contrary buggers. Even wheeling out rent-a-buffoon Keith Allen for the closing "World In Motion" sounds curiously affecting and heroic in these circumstances, though it's hard to imagine what Ian Curtis - himself a Manchester United supporter, lest we forget - would have made of such shenanigans.
But the fact they deliver versions of three Joy Division songs is what clinches this ultimately. "Isolation" is given a shot of steroids for its' festival outing, but - even devoid of Curtis - both "Atmosphere" and "Heart And Soul" sound as majestic and otherworldly as ever. It's the sound of a band finally accepting its' turbulent past and coming to terms with it with dignity and this gig is worth the price of admission for these songs alone.
There's also a 25-minute interview segment with journalist Miranda Sawyer, but it won't tell the longstanding fan anything much he or she doesn't already know, so don't expect anything as revealing as Debbie Curtis's brilliant "Touching From A Distance" book.
Still, at over two hours in running time, "3 16" gets on with the job and cuts out most of the fat. Most importantly, it gives you an insight into the genius and imperfection that remains alive and kicking within this most unlikely bunch of superstars and as these in-concert outings go that's no mean achievement.
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