New Years Eve. New Order.

It's New Years Eve, and New Order. It seems as if Manchester had been brought down lock stock and barrel to London for the party. Primal Scream are in attendance. And 12,500 of their friends. Inside the Alexandra Palace - if you can get past the crappest queing system ever invented by Shiteguard Security, the great hall has been converted to a funfair with the stage at the front. It certainly was weird seeing New order play Atmosphere with a whizzing funfair ferris wheel flashing by near them. Anyway, after an interminable age, myself and a whole bunch of the mates went down the front to wait for New Order, until they came on stage 20 minutes late.

Opening with a luxurious Regret, it became apparent immediately that this was a shedload better than Manchester drunken but enjoyable ramble. The crowd was 100% into it and the band really were peaking. Nice to see dancing like it was 1999 to the ever brilliant Touched, and a few being thrown by Isolation. The only drawback of Isolation - and the shimmering Ceremony - was some cockney wanker who thought he could dance like Ian Curtis, throwing his fists into the air and peoples faces, without realising fists might possibly be thrown at him.

But those songs - some of which are 20 years old now - show that some thing never change but the date. Ceremony is still a triumphant call to the gods. Hooky was on excellent form, smiling, singing along, and serenading the front row with his bass. Barney remained spot welded to his guitar and wasn't that drunk. They even finished the frankly pointless but wonderful Guilty Partner without fucking it up. Atmosphere and Heart and Soul both sounded like the perfect songs to end the year - sad elegiac and hopeful for a better future all at once.

Again, it's just a shame Heart and Soul was ruined by two dreadlocked Cockney idiots who were obviously tripping deciding they liked New order more than anybody else punching their way to the front. But that moment was saved by them being forcibly ejected by the assembled masses - the uninvited arseholes at your party. Being at the front is the biggest clan there is and we all know who deserves to be here and who doesn't. As the new year creeped ever nearer, New Order gave it the best send off ever. Paradise and the immortal Bizarre Love Triangle, sounding as amazing as ever, towered over everything else heard so far that night.

Hooky gurned and laughed, Stephen Morris - looked increasingly like a photofit picture of himself (all angular cheekbones) pounded the shit out of his kit, and Barney's idiot jogging dancing were all testament to the fact that New order still are at the height of their powers in all respects. True Faith - the best version ever in fact - levitated 10,000 people out of their souls. And Temptation itself - largely caused by the late running - ushered in the new year. As the song broke down and Gillian improvised a resequenced version, stripping it to a simple looped bassline, the back projection of "31.12.98" slowly changed to "01.01.99" and the new year was carried in by the best band in the world and Barney's simple statement "It's 1999." At that moment, the ideal snogging moment of the entire year was ruined. Thanks Barney. But I don't mind.

Leaving the stage for an age, and a hoarse throated Alan Wise trying his best to coax them back on New Order reappear. But then ddisappeared as Hooky needed a piss. Typical. Love Will tear us Apart was marvellous. As Stephen bashed his kit and Hooky swung meaningful glances at him, great big smiles broke out between the two. "And now, a very special guest...Bez!" As Fine Time kickstarts wonderfully, Bez from the Happy Mondays wonder on stage, ambles around with Barney, dances like a moron and big smiles are everywhere. Bez implores "Fac 51 ! We only do it because we like it." and the entire of London becomes a dancefloor frenzy.

Blue Monday follows - Barney and Bez duetting marvellously off-key, with Bez improvising next to Gillian as the Hardfloor mix bassline kicks in and takes over the song. Eventually it all falls apart - Bez keep shouting "How Does It Feel?", Gillian is giggling like a manic, Hooky is pounding a now inaudible drumpad and Barney just stands centrestage chugging a great big bottle of wine. As the songs crashes to a halt, Hooky tips his glass to us, wishes us a very happy New year and it's all over. 

After queuing for ages at the bar I run off to catch Underworld admist their opening number, a sleek graceful and mental Mmm Skyscraper. Tonight they are on top form - offering a totally different set and feel to the previous Manchester show - which reveals just how tight they have become. Skyscraper is stunning - the band are surrounded by Tomato projections and the trio seems in unnaturally close telepathic contact throughout the whole set - and as it melds into a snippet of Thing In A Book before turning again into the astonising CowGirl - I know I'm not just having the best New years Eve of my life but also watching two of the best bands in the world.

Karl is on immaculate form, improvising and altering lyrics as they tumble from his mouth and wearing a big fat grin. Darren and Rick welded to their consoles are also dancing their tits off. As Beaucoup Fish and the Push Upstairs/Downstairs medley take off, I am further convinced of Underworld power.

Even though at least half the set is all new, you wouldn't have a clue from the estatic reaction. Inevitably, about 50 minutes in, it's the astonishing 10 minute King of Snake (this will be Born Slippy II) that stuns me. The bassline is unrepentantly huge, and the songs dips, twist and turns in the uncompromisingly pounding manner that made Born Slippy so huge. Song of the year already. Karl is dancing and giving it some, wandering behind the back projections as he emotes the relentless Moaner to present an enormous shadow that towers over the arena. Moaner, which tonight sounds phoenomenal (yet being barely known amongst the crowd) is eagerly lapped up and effortlessly turns into Relentless Legs. Into the silence, Dark+Long melds into the ace Dark Train which gathers a wonderful reception for a song that originally tucked away on the b side of a non charting 12". Must be something to do with that film. Toytrainspotting... Karl loses himself in the song, endlessly yelling "likeatrainlikeatrainlikeatrain" as Darren and Karl dance like fools.

As the crowd yells, a brief snippet of Jumbo - all vocoded and funky - is overtaken by the original Born Slippy. Unfortunately, this is the one bit of any Underworld gig I hate the most. Their melancholy classic Born Slippy - about the worlds worst hangover - has been hijacked by barechested E tripping cockney largeboys who like fighting and past it fat housewives who pretend they've still got it and look at me funny when I know all the words of this ace no.52 hit from 95. Anyway, Nuxx is a masterpiece, Karl covers Darrens eyes whilst he's mixing and then steals Darrens headphones to laughter from everyone close enough to see. As Nuxx pounds to the end, the crowd think it's all over. Slowly a plinky plonkly noise steams out of the speakers as the immaculate Rez lifts the roof off. Again, this is wonderfully recieved for a 12" from 1993 that hasn't made any UW album. As Rez comes to a crashing close, everyone exchanges big hugs and kisses on stage and I wander off to see The Chemical Brothers who have already started. Cheers Mean Fiddler.. that and an absurd one way system in the venue means I missed far too much of an ace evening..

here's to a brilliant 1999 y'all.

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