As is well documented, New Order are my true loves (well, just behind Mrs JO'B). After the magnificent return to form that was 2015's Music Complete album, my hopes were high when they dropped a new single from nowhere.
And Be A Rebel is absolutely....ok...it's nice, poppy and upbeat. But it's no True Faith, no Regret, no Bizarre Love Triangle. If it came out under the Electronic or Other Two moniker, I would probably think more highly, but I expect more from NO.
The chorus is great, but it's missing that soaring Hooky bass line that Bernard seems to not value. Music Complete was full of them, ably delivered by his replacement, Tom Chapman. That's what made it such a fantastic return.
Be A Rebel is catchy, it has a great video, and in the current circumstances I am grateful for anything. But six months after its release comes Mark Reeder's Dirty Devil Remix, which is FANTASTIC! Reeder has history with NO, having been Factory Records' representative in Germany in the late 70s/early 80s. He is also a renowned DJ and label owner. (Ok, he was also in The Frantic Elevators with Mick Hucknall, but we all have a past...).
His remix turns it from a lightweight pop record to a dance floor stomper - the guitar right to the forefront, filling that Hooky hole, it's just brilliant. Let's hope when NO return in November at the O2, it's this version they play, because the place will go mental. As will I.
For fans of: Electronic, The Other Two, Pet Shop Boys