FROM the first note played on the piano, to the final crescendo, I was mesmerised by the spectacle that is Live_Transmission: Joy Division Reworked.

English rock band Joy Division were one of the ground-breaking bands of the 1970s and early '80s, and for this performance their songs have been adapted to be played by a live orchestra, accompanied by projections on a screen shielding them.  

On a darkened stage, all that could be seen were the dots of light glowing next to the music stands and the shadowed outline of the musicians.

The tips of the violin bows rose and fell as the music built, each instrument added gradually until the full force of the Heritage Orchestra filled the auditorium.

It was haunting and powerful, as the familiar tunes were stripped back and reworked into something completely different and unlike anything I had ever seen or heard before.

Bright lights and images were projected onto the screen and a video was played behind the orchestra, created by Matt Watkins, who has worked visual campaigns for Gorillaz.

It was like being inside someone else’s mind and not really knowing what’s going on, but it being quite wonderful anyway. I couldn’t look away for even a second, I was completely consumed, and the hour-and-a-quarter performance felt like it was over in 10 minutes.

The images seemed to tell a story, but one which was subjective and open to your own interpretation. It was like watching a piece of art being created live in front of you that was both beautiful and strange.

The hypnotic sounds from the electro-orchestra flowed from one piece to the next, carrying the audience in a trance from beginning to end.

It ended with Love Will Tear Us Apart – named the greatest song of the last 60 years by NME - which was the only tune to be accompanied by a recorded singer.

As the audience gave a standing ovation, the musicians were finally revealed - it was just a shame they didn’t have a full house to give them the applause they deserved. My only criticism is that it finished too soon.