New Order

New Order are an English synth-pop and new wave group from Salford, England, formed in 1980 by the three surviving members of Joy Division: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris. The group also becomes known as one of the key acts to bridge post-punk and dance music, combining guitar and keyboard elements in a way that helps define 1980s alternative dance.

Line-up and activity

The classic line-up includes Bernard Sumner on vocals, guitar and keyboards; Peter Hook on bass and electronic percussion; Gillian Gilbert on keyboards and guitar; and Stephen Morris on drums and keyboards. Gilbert joins in October 1980 after contributing guitar to a later version of the single “Ceremony”. The band continues from 1980 to the present. It effectively disbands in 1993, reunites in 1998, and later carries on without Hook. Phil Cunningham joins on guitar and keyboards after Gilbert leaves in 2001, and Tom Chapman later replaces Hook on bass. In 2011, Gilbert returns for charity dates without Hook.

Early records and breakthrough

The band’s early work stays close to Joy Division’s sound, especially on the debut album Movement in 1981, which is often treated as a transitional record. Their style develops through songs such as “Procession” and “Temptation”. In 1983 they release “Blue Monday”, widely regarded as their best-known song and the biggest-selling 12-inch single of all time. The track appears in a Peter Saville-designed sleeve that resembles a floppy disc. The single coincides with Power, Corruption & Lies, which strengthens the band’s dance-rock direction.

Factory Records, club culture and production

New Order become Factory Records’ highest-selling act and also help fund Manchester’s Haçienda club. They work with Quincy Jones’s Qwest label and with producer Arthur Baker on “Confusion” and “Thieves Like Us”. Their 1989 album Technique draws heavily on Ibiza club culture and acid house. The band is also noted as one of the first to popularise keyboard-and-guitar-based music in dance settings.

Albums and major songs

New Order release the studio albums Movement, Power, Corruption & Lies, Low-Life, Brotherhood, Technique, Republic, Get Ready, Waiting for the Sirens’ Call, Lost Sirens and Music Complete. Republic follows the collapse of Factory Records and comes out on London Records. The band’s sole number one single is “World in Motion”, the England football team collaboration written by Keith Allen and used as the official England World Cup song.

Breaks, returns and later years

After splitting in 1993, New Order return with a Reading Festival performance in 1998. Gillian Gilbert leaves after Get Ready in 2001 for family reasons and later returns. Hook leaves in 2007, after which the remaining members continue to dispute the status of the band before later returning as New Order without him. In 2012 they tour again and play festivals and concerts worldwide.

Related projects and collaborations

Following the split, Bernard Sumner and Phil Cunningham form Bad Lieutenant, whose album Never Cry Another Tear includes Stephen Morris on drums on several tracks. Sumner also works with Johnny Marr and Neil Tennant in Electronic. Hook forms Revenge and later Monaco. Morris and Gilbert record two albums as The Other Two and also work in film and television scoring. All four original members also work as producers or guest musicians under the name Be Music for Factory-related artists including Section 25, A Certain Ratio, Happy Mondays, Paul Haig, The Stockholm Monsters, The Stone Roses and Stanton Miranda.