Watched from the wings as the scenes were replaying

There is something most civilised about a cinema that permits a punter to carry a frothy pint of Guinness to one’s seat so it was a soothing pleasure to catch my first feature of the autumn season at Gloucester’s splendid Guildhall Arts Centre. The Joy Division documentary – or, if you will, "rockumentary" – proved a compelling hour and a half. Naturally the film covered a lot of ground that the post-punk cognoscenti already had seen, read and inwardly digested especially if they had tuned into last weekend’s Manchester music night on BBC4. However, the subject matter is ever fascinating and much of the footage chosen was sublime. I admired the juxtaposition of two performances of She’s Lost Control, six months apart, identifying the transformation from earnest yet atmospheric young guns to unleashers of maelstroms and brooding bringers of sturm und drang. The interviews were constructed sagely. It is always pleasing to note just how ordinary and self-deprecating the surviving band members are while the views and messages of sleeve designer Peter Saville, late Factory honcho Anthony Wilson and other assorted label-mates, roadies, and post-punk personalities were rewarding and fine. The music is, of course, everything; as one talking head suggested, one should forget all the myths, all the merchandising and simply remember that there are two ‘set texts’, Unknown Pleasures and Closer and not a lot else matters. Almost thirty years on, this brace of albums remains essential, seminal and utterly influential. This is a startling group. This is a startling group.