After seeing them 3-4 times between 78-79 I bought the album the week it came out , tbh the live shows I had seen were on the whole underwhelming ( it was the days of very little in the way of an alternative music scene , so you basically took what you were given in Manchester , often midweek gigs . joy division seemed to always be on one bill or another )the album was great as were the 2 shows I saw immediately afterwards at an all dayer in a place on Hyde road that used to be the southern sporting club and a place in newton Heath ( think it got wrecked after an Adam ant concert the year after ) they had definitely upped their game under martin hannets stewardship !!