Hoxton, a British retro-indie club in eastern San José, has booked two sonic treats that few could have seen coming: bassist Andy Rourke of the legendary alternative band The Smiths and bassist Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order – three bands that helped define an entire generation of music.
Over the last 30 years, these giants of the Manchester music scene have been influencing bands across the planet. But this is the first time either of them will be performing in Costa Rica – Rourke on Oct. 26 and Hook on Dec. 14.
While deejaying isn’t the same as thrashing about onstage with the likes of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, in an interview with Boston’s daily Metro, Rourke promised that fans wouldn’t be disappointed.
“I’m still a musician first and foremost, but [DJing] is something I just have fun with. I don’t do anything fancy, like ‘wicky wicky,’ ‘Wheels of Steel’ and all that. I just play some songs that I’ve grown up with and I love and hope people enjoy it. So far, so good,” Rourke told Metro’s Luke O’Neil.
Rourke’s bass lines are frequently praised by fans as melodic, stunning and brilliant, but his creativity as a DJ has helped him have a go in the 21st century club scene and as a radio DJ.
Rourke, 49, hosts a weekly radio show, Jetlag, on East Village Radio in New York every Monday. Jetlag also is the name of his collaboration with DJ Olé Koretsky.
Rourke was living in Manchester eight years ago when a friend, British DJ Tintin, convinced him to play some records at a club. “I said, ‘I don’t DJ.’ He said, ‘Bring some CDs and have fun,’ and it all started from there.”
Costa Rican DJs Vladimir, Fran Soto and Javier Portilla will be spinning from 9 p.m. to warm up a select Hoxton’s crowd lucky enough to get tickets for the exclusive show. Rourke’s set will last about two hours.
Hoxton co-owner Neil Ryan said tickets are on sale at LOU Store and at Hoxton for ₡6,000 ($12) or ₡5,000 ($10) for Hoxton cardholding members.
The Smith’s bassist Andy Rourke won’t be playing any of that “wicky wicky” stuff at the Hoxton. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Hooky for December
Both Joy Division and New Order have been regarded as iconic musical pioneers for the last three decades.
The evolution of their sound from the raw, post-punk of Warsaw and Joy Division to the more electronic sound of New Order was heavily based on the use of analog synthesizers and sequencers, which earned them a place of honor among dance fans throughout the late 1980s and most of the ’90s.
But their sound also relied on the melodic and rhythmic lines of Peter Hook’s bass. As a bassist, Hook, now 57, has played and recorded with several bands, including The Duruti Column, Revenge and Monaco, and after leaving New Order for good, he led a three-bassist project called Freebass, along with Mani of The Stone Roses and, coincidentally, Andy Rourke. He also performs as lead vocalist and bassist for Peter Hook and The Light.
In recent years Hook has produced fellow Manchester greats Inspiral Carpets and The Stone Roses.
Now, he alternates DJ gigs with performances of The Light, the band he formed in 2010, and which is currently touring Europe and the Americas.
Legendary bass player Peter Hook comes to Costa Rica’s Hoxton for a special DJ set on Dec. 14. Courtesy of Rodrigo Jardon Ache Productions, Cynthia Flores, Indie Rocks and Carlos Vargas www.lapoplife.com
Behind the decks, Hook’s DJ set is a mash-up of tracks that defined a musical generation he helped to form, and for Costa Rican fans, the December show is not to be missed.
Hooky – as he is widely known – arrives in Costa Rica from Colombia for a Joy Division/New Order set at Hoxton on Saturday, Dec. 14. He then heads back to England to resume his tour with The Light.
Limited tickets are available at LOU store for ₡12,000 ($24), and ₡10,000 ($20) for Hoxton cardholders. Resident DJ Vladimir will be opening the night.
More to come at The Hox
Getting these two stars was a mission accomplished by Hoxton co-owners Thomas Dalby and Neil Ryan, who moved to Costa Rica seven years ago with the idea of opening an authentic English club – fish-n-chips and Guinness included.
The process for booking the shows “was pretty easy actually,” said Ryan, who originally hails from Manchester. “A friend of a friend” got them in contact with Peter Hook’s manager, “and the rest was industry connections, I guess.”
In their current location in Los Yoses, east of San José, Hoxton aims to keep loyal customers happy and offer more musical variety than Chepe is used to, which includes bringing more bands next year.
Dalby, from London, and Ryan are working on “some big names from England and the U.S.”
One thing’s certain, San José nightlife just stepped it up a notch.
