On March 30, 1979, Joy Division performed the first of their two concerts at the Walthamstow Youth Centre in East London. Just two days later, they would begin recording their iconic debut album, Unknown Pleasures. Unfortunately, due to a misprint in Melody Maker, about 20-30 attended the gig, of whom a handful were non-members and the majority being youngsters from the youth centre.
The venue itself was a quintessential Victorian sports hall, characterised by its lofty ceilings and elegant parquet flooring. It was ultimately demolished in 1992, making way for a block of housing association homes. Today, the only remnants of the youth centre are the sturdy brick pillars and the wrought iron railings and gates that framed it.
For many years, I passed by this location daily, residing just around the corner from Markhouse Road, unknowing that Joy Division once graced that very spot with their music. Today, there are no visible markers to commemorate this significant event in music history, and scant mention of it can be found in records of the time.
It remains uncertain whether any photographs from the concert ever existed, as most of the attendees were likely to young to have owned a camera. Martin Comey, a member of the support band SX, entrusted a friend with his Zenith SLR camera to make images of Joy Division during their performance. Sadly, the resulting negatives were either severely underexposed and unrecognisable or, perhaps the photographs were never taken at all.
After the concert concluded, Joy Division and the members of SX stayed overnight at Jasmine’s nearby home. Jasmine, who managed the Walthamstow Youth Centre, played a pivotal role in inviting the band to perform at the centre. She later hosted them at her home during future gigs in the city.
The only images of Joy Division from that evening in 1979 were made by Martin Comey at Jasmine’s house, photographed in her upstairs bedroom and downstairs front room following the perfomance.
The atmosphere and memories associated with that evening, seen through the contemporary prism of images of ironwork, bricks, trees, skies, streets and even the mundane presence of a Deliveroo cyclist, serve as a response to a gig witnessed by a fortunate few, yet tragically left unrecorded.
David Bennett Photographer 