Joy Division
Les Bains Douches Vol.2

THE REVIEW

Often, a live recording does not convey the full idea of the actual concert. "Les Bains Douches" perhaps does.

What do we understand about Joy Division in this album? We understand that their concert must have simply been a concert. Nothing more. You would go, music blasted in your face, and you went home. No compromises, no half-measures, no nonsense. It's evident that live was the most suitable setting for the pieces by these four guys, the most natural dimension, the most primitive and animalistic one.

"Les Bains Douches Live in Amsterdam-Eindhoven" constitutes the second volume of a live work opened by the Paris recordings, which, in my opinion, are slightly more disappointing than the Dutch ones, especially in terms of sound quality.

The album begins with the disconcerting "Passover," an undoubtedly unconventional way to open a live record. But "Passover" is perfect to catapult us into an atmosphere of despair and anxiety that remains almost constant throughout the listening experience. The highlight is placed right in the second position, "New Dawn Fades" with that bass, that heavy bass, powerful yet sensual, and that guitar, that guitar which live has an unexpected sound, damnably more garage. Heartbeats and chills. "Atrocity Exhibition", so raw, pounding, neurotic, takes us straight into the fog and cold of a grim city.

Side B is, if you will, even more exciting than the first. Two Joy Division trademarks like "Digital" and "Dead Souls" convey a nature live that's somewhat hidden in the studio recordings, managing to bring chills even to those who thought their phase of blind adoration had ended. The bucolic "Atmosphere" has the taste of a final farewell from the genius about to leave us, and it is permeated by a glacial and melancholic sense of an ending.

This live performance requires little forgiveness, only some sound defects, a few minor mistakes. And for the listener, to forgive these imperfections, nothing is needed; just the naked beauty of the pieces, which speak for themselves. They are the direct testimony of the pain that emanates from instruments that are alive, vibrant, tangible.