What sort of song would you expect to see at a Karaoke evening in a pub on the outskirts of a major financial district? A selection of recent hits plus some older numbers guaranteed to get the frustrated singer in all of us to drunkenly stagger up the steps with the sole purpose of slaughtering “Wonderwall” or “American Pie”, bellowing like a cow at an abbatoir?

Yep. And then you look through the list and there, amongst the usual stuff, sits “Transmission” by Joy Division. I ask you, who’s going to go up and sing a Joy Division song? Us, that’s who. And I bet you would too. Who would turn down the opportunity to yell out “DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE TO THE RADIO” like a deranged Mancunian Mick Jagger?

Chatting to the organisers, they told me their main line of work is Alternative Karaoke, usually in pubs round Camden and Islington. Bauhaus is a particular fave, I understand. Tell you what, they should expand their range and chuck in a bunch of Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley songs to capture the “I Couldn’t Succeed In My Singer-Songwriter Career So I Became An Options Pricer At A Major US Investment Bank” market. Trust me, it’s bigger than you could ever imagine.

MP3: Transmission by Joy Division

Buy “Heart and Soul” (CD) – All Of Joy Division’s Recorded Output