Joy Division concert

21st January 1980: Kant Kino, Berlin, Germany


Peter Hook's poster sold by Omega Auctions in 2019


Songs recorded on bootleg tape:
01. Dead Souls
02. Wilderness
03. Colony
04. Insight
05. Twenty Four Hours
06. A Means To An End
07. Transmission (cuts)
08. The Eternal (cuts)
(more songs were performed, see below)
Appx. duration: 25 mins. Sound quality 5/9
Erratic tape speed makes this is the worst sounding Joy Division live recording ever.

Mark Reeder who promoted this gig remembers they played She's Lost Control, Shadowplay and New Dawn Fades (and possibly others as well) in addition to those songs captured on the tape. "When I was told JD would be playing in Cologne, I managed to convince Rob (through Ian) to come to Berlin ('it's not that far'). I had a harder job trying to convince Conny (who ran the gigs at the Kant Kino) to put them on, and it was only after their album got a positive review in the UK music press that he capitulated, after I told him JD would already be in Germany and he'd only have to pay their fee and hotel costs - so the Kant Kino was incorporated into their short Holland tour". "There were about 60 people at that gig (we sold 58 tickets)".


A still from b-movie by Mark Reeder showing the venue
on the day (we checked).

Click for larger image
Thanks to Andreas B for the ticket scan



In January 2008 the Ian Curtis biopic Control
was shown at the cinema.
Photo (C) Flabbes


Kant Kino January 2008 - Poster for "Control"
Photo (C) Flabbes



Bernard noted in May 1981 that "...the atmosphere ...strange... it was quite a lot like Manchester ... Berlin ... it had a cold atmosphere ... Anonymous ... an evil atmosphere. You could feel the evil ... you could feel it from the war."

Joy Division probably named "Komakino" after this venue.
 


(C) Lee McFadden 2009



Stairs to main hall 2009 (C) Lee McFadden


(C) Lee McFadden 2009


The Foyer 2009 (C) Lee McFadden



Main hall entrance 2009 (C) Lee McFadden