New Order
Biography & Overview
New Order are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1980 by vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris, with keyboardist Gillian Gilbert joining the band shortly after. Sumner, Hook and Morris were previously members of Joy Division, which had disbanded earlier in 1980 after the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. Their fusion of post-punk and electronic dance music made them one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s, and pioneers of alternative dance. They became the flagship band for the Manchester-based independent record label Factory Records and its nightclub, The Haçienda. They worked in a long-term collaboration with graphic designer Peter Saville who worked on their album covers.
While the band's early years were initially overshadowed by Joy Division's post-punk legacy, their experience in the early 1980s New York club scene led them to incorporate dance rhythms and electronic instrumentation into their work. Their 1983 hit "Blue Monday" became the best-selling 12-inch single of all time and a popular club track. In the 1980s, they released several successful albums, such as Power, Corruption & Lies (1983), Technique (1989), and the singles compilation album Substance (1987). The band disbanded in 1993 to focus on their individual projects but reunited in 1998. Since then, New Order have gone through various hiatuses and changes in personnel, most notably the departure of Hook in 2007 due to personal disputes with the other members. In 2015, they released their tenth studio album, Music Complete. In 2026, both Joy Division and New Order were inducted as one act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.