Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Peter Hook and the Light at the Wiltern And we all danced

If you don’t like at least one song by Joy Division or New Order than you’re probably a liar. The thing about both of these bands is that they are so prominent in music of various genres. Whether you like it or not, we hear them everyday in our favorite bands. The extent of their influence in the post punk and new wave world goes far beyond the eye can see and it’s reputably timeless. If you’ve ever been to a New Order concert you can see this translate effortlessly into their performance.

I’m a shameless crier when it comes to shows. I cried during Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Air, Beyoncé… I probably cried at a Bright Eyes show when I was 14 and I definitely cried at my first concert ever when I was 9 – The Backstreet Boys. So touching and so moving – when a piece music makes you feel everything at once at a moment in time.

Anyway, it’s really no surprise that I shed more than a tear at Peter Hook and The Light when they played at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

My favorite New Order album is their debut one from 1981, “Movement” and like every other great album, it was released poorly by the critics at the time of its release. I’m not trying to snub Bernard Sumner because he’s massively talented and just as important as Hook, but Hook sings on the most Ian-sounding songs on the record (“Dreams Never End,” “Doubts Even Here”) so for him to sing Joy Division songs in a live setting seems appropriate.

“Movement” is dark like Joy Division but it’s hopeful like everything else by New Order. Peter Hook and the Light mimicked this mood into their set the other night. Hook’s low Curtis-like vocal range made it easy to relish in the Joy Division/New Order revolution that seems to rock and rattle each decade since the 80s.

Hook and his band played an hour of New Order hits followed by an hour of Joy Division bangers with a short intermission in-between.

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He wasted no time from the beginning, playing “Ceremony” second and inviting out Moby who sang the song while embodying Curtis’ dynamic stage energy respectfully enough to where it wasn’t tacky or overdone. Moby came back out one more time during the Joy Division set and sang his heart out to “Transmission.” You can hate Moby all you want but it was pretty psycho in a totally cool and versatile way.

You got to give Peter Hook credit for giving the fans what they want. The performance was seemingly more catered to a Joy Division-centric fan base, which is why I recommend seeing him play in this manner versus New Order, although both are not to be missed. So many people in the crowd weren’t even born until after Curtis died. Now, thanks to Hook, we all can feel a little piece of the “Substance.”–Asal Shahindoust

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Thurston Moore made our ears bleed Live from the LA Art Book Fair

Thurston Moore continues his reign as the king of dissonance at the LAABF

I still haven’t seen Cluster either And it’s being made in the room next to me

I didn’t think I’d have to write that. But there it is. The morning of the premiere and I still haven’t seen the damn thing. After a week in the desert, followed by an even more dehydrated stint in the lizard den known as the What Youth editing bay, Kai and Blake are still the…

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Dear Youth What Youth HQ during the making of Cluster

This is us on deadline.

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A rookie’s year on the run Dear Youth with Quinn Matthews

Quinn Matthews recaps his 2014 year on the road as a rookie.

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Dear Youth One more Aloha from Hawaii (with Quinn Matthews)

We just had to say aloha one more time. This time Quinn Matthews says farewell to the island. It’s been exactly a year now since Quinn Matthews caught our eye with his photos from Hawaii, and this year was a stellar sophomore campaign. Always fresh, and always rad angles.

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Dear Youth: See Ya Hawaii 12 Photos from the North Shore

Nate Lawrence photos from the North Shore.

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Dear Youth Swimming at Pipe: Quinn Matthews

Editor’s Note: Every time Quinn does something (anything), it’s probably his first time. And while I think he’d swam and shot at Pipe before, these were definitely the biggest waves he’d ever swam in. Which lends for good reading, especially when you line it up with the results you see below. Quinn wrote this and…

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Dear Youth 15 photos from North Shore: Quinn Matthews

Last year it was his fresh approach in Hawaii that caught our eye. And throughout the year he’s continued to amaze and baffle us simultaneously with his awe of the world around him and ability to get the wildest shots at the least likely of times. Quinn Matthews is a shy, unassuming, extremely green but…

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Dear Youth 15 Photos from Hawaii: Kenny Hurtado

Kenny Hurtado has always been one of our favorite photographers. Both for the purity of his photography and for his humble demeanor. He’s been over on the North Shore the past few weeks and took a very unique approach to his coverage of the most photographed place in the surf world.

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Dear Youth 15 Photos from the North Shore: Nate Lawrence

Photographing the North Shore is an interesting skill if you wanna do it right. Nate Lawrence has been on the North Shore for a few weeks now, and prior to that he’s logged well over a decade of pilgrimages each year. And somehow, each trip back he manages to surprise us with the unique and…

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Dear Youth Right Place, Right Time.

I just had the best month of my life.

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