New Order | |
|---|---|
 Promotional images of New Order in 1985; clockwise from top left:Bernard Sumner,Stephen Morris,Peter Hook,Gillian Gilbert | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Salford, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | Seeother projects |
| Spinoff of | Joy Division |
| Members | |
| Past members | Peter Hook |
| Website | neworder |
New Order are an Englishrock band formed inSalford in 1980 by vocalist and guitaristBernard Sumner, bassistPeter Hook, and drummerStephen Morris, with keyboardistGillian Gilbert joining the band shortly after. Sumner, Hook and Morris were previously members ofJoy Division, which had disbanded earlier in 1980 after the suicide of lead singerIan Curtis.[1] Their fusion ofpost-punk andelectronic dance music made them one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s.[2] They became the flagship band for theManchester-based independent record labelFactory Records and its nightclub,The Haçienda. They worked in a long-term collaboration with graphic designerPeter Saville who worked on their album covers.[3]
While the band's early years were initially overshadowed by Joy Division's post-punk legacy, their experience in the early 1980sNew York club scene led them to incorporate dance rhythms andelectronic instrumentation into their work. Their 1983 hit "Blue Monday" became the best-selling12-inch single of all time and a popularclub track.[2] In the 1980s, they released several successful albums, such asPower, Corruption & Lies (1983),Technique (1989), and thesingles compilation albumSubstance (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 ofHook in 2007 due to personal disputes with the other members.[4] In 2015, they released their tenth studio album,Music Complete. In 2023, both Joy Division and New Order were nominated as one act for induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[5]
Between 1977 and 1980,Ian Curtis,Peter Hook,Stephen Morris, andBernard Sumner were members of the post-punk bandJoy Division, often featuring heavy production input from producerMartin Hannett.[6] Curtis died by suicide on 18 May 1980, the day before Joy Division were scheduled to depart for their first North American tour, and before the release of the band's second album,Closer.
Before Curtis's death, the band had agreed to stop using the name Joy Division if any member died or left.[7] Thus, when the three remaining members decided to continue without him, they chose to perform under a different name.[8] During the summer of 1980, the remaining members recorded their firstdemos, including a track called "Haystack" with vocalistKevin Hewick, whomFactory's co-founderTony Wilson had suggested as the band's new frontman.[9] On 29 July 1980, the as-yet unnamed trio debuted live at Manchester's Beach Club.[10][11][12]Rob Gretton, the band's manager for over twenty years, is credited with finding the name New Order in an article inThe Guardian titled "The New Order ofKampuchean Rebels". They also considered the name The Witch Doctors ofZimbabwe, before finally choosing New Order of Kampuchean Rebels, which was narrowed down to the name New Order[13] despite its previous use for formerStoogeRon Asheton's bandThe New Order. The group emphasized that the nameNew Order, likeJoy Division, was not intended to referenceNazism orfascism.[14]
New Order embarked on a short US tour in early autumn 1980. In these shows, Sumner, Morris and Hook all sang lead vocals on different tracks. Sumner ultimately took the role of frontman even though he struggled to sing while playing guitar.[15] During this tour, the band recorded two tracks written by Joy Division: "Ceremony" and "In a Lonely Place", which were released as New Order's debut single in January 1981.[15]
The band wanted to complete the line-up with someone they knew well and whose musical skills and style were compatible with their own. Gretton suggested Morris's girlfriendGillian Gilbert,[14] and she was invited to join the band in early October 1980 as keyboardist and guitarist. She made her live debut with the band at the Squat inManchester on 25 October 1980.[16][17] As a quartet, New Order subsequently re-recorded "Ceremony", which was released as atwelve-inch single in September 1981.[15]
New Order's first commercial release was the single "Ceremony", backed with "In a Lonely Place". These two songs were written in the weeks before Curtis took his own life.[14] With the release of their debut album,Movement, in November 1981, New Order initially started on a similar route as their previous incarnation, performing dark, melodic songs, albeit with an increased use ofsynthesizers. The band viewed the period as a low point, as they were still reeling from Curtis's death. Hook commented that the only positive thing to come out of theMovement sessions was that producerMartin Hannett showed the band how to use amixing board. This allowed the band toproduce records by themselves from then on.[18] More recently, Hook indicated a change of heart: "I thinkMovement gets a raw deal in general, really—for me, when you consider the circumstances in which it was written, it is a fantastic record."[19]
New Order visited New York City again in 1981, where the band were introduced topost-disco,freestyle, andelectro.[20] To cheer themselves up, the band started listening toItalian disco while Morris taught himselfdrum programming.[18] The singles that followed, "Everything's Gone Green" and "Temptation", saw a change in direction toward dance music and the departure of producerMartin Hannett, who walked off halfway through the mix of "Everything's Gone Green", leading the band to produce "Temptation" themselves.[21]
The Haçienda, Factory Records' own nightclub (largely funded by New Order), opened in May 1982 in Manchester and was even issued a Factory catalogue number: FAC51. The opening of the UK's first-eversuperclub was marked by a nearly 23-minute instrumental piece originally entitled "Prime 5 8 6",[22] but released 15 years later as "Video 5 8 6".[23] Composed primarily by Sumner and Morris, "Prime 5 8 6"/"Video 5 8 6" was an early version of "5 8 6" that contained rhythm elements that would later surface on "Blue Monday" and "Ultraviolence".[22]
New Order's second LP,Power, Corruption & Lies, was released in May 1983. Thissynth-pop album incorporated some of thepost-punk style sound from their previous band,Joy Division, and their first album,Movement. The band had been hinting at the increased use of technology during the music-making process for a number of years then, including their work as Joy Division. Starting from what earlier singles had hinted, this was where the band found their footing, mixing early techno music with their earlier guitar-based sound and showing the strong influence of acts likeKraftwerk andGiorgio Moroder.[24] Even further in this direction was the electronically sequenced,four-on-the-floor single "Blue Monday". Inspired byKlein + M.B.O.'s "Dirty Talk" andSylvester'sdisco classic "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)",[25] "Blue Monday" became the best-selling independent12-inch single of all time in the UK; however, it was not on the track list ofPower, Corruption & Lies. The song was included only on the cassette format in some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, and on the original North American CD release of the album, alongside its B-side, "The Beach". "Blue Monday" was also included on the 2008 collector's edition ofPower, Corruption & Lies.
The 1983 single "Confusion" firmly established the group as a dance music force, inspiring many musicians in subsequent years. In 1984 they followed the largely synthesized single "Thieves Like Us" with the heavy guitar-drum-bass rumble of "Murder", a not-too-distant cousin of "Ecstasy" from thePower, Corruption & Lies album.
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Released in 1985,Low-Life refined and sometimes mixed the two styles, guitar-based and electronic, and included "The Perfect Kiss" – the video for which was filmed byJonathan Demme – and "Sub-culture".[26][27] In February 1986, thesoundtrack album toPretty in Pink featuring "Shellshock" was released onA&M Records. An instrumental version of "Thieves Like Us" and the instrumental "Elegia" appeared in the film but were not on the soundtrack album. Later that summer, New Order headlined a line-up that includedthe Smiths,the Fall, andA Certain Ratio during theFestival of the Tenth Summer at Manchester'sG-Mex.[28]
Brotherhood (1986) divided the two approaches onto separate album sides. The album notably featured "Bizarre Love Triangle" (a Top 20 hit in Australia and New Zealand) and "Angel Dust" (of which a remixed instrumental version is available on the UK "True Faith" CD video single, under the title "Evil Dust"), a track which marries a synth break beat withLow-Life-era guitar effects. While New Order toured North America with friendsEcho & the Bunnymen, the summer of 1987 saw the release of the compilationSubstance, which featured the new single "True Faith".Substance was an important album in collecting the group's 12-inch singles onto CD for the first time and featured new versions of "Temptation" and "Confusion"—referred to as "Temptation '87" and "Confusion '87". A second disc featured several of the B-sides from the singles on the first disc, as well as additional A-sides "Procession" and "Murder". The single, "True Faith", with its surreal video, became a hit onMTV and the band's first American top 40 hit. The single's B-side, "1963"—originally planned on being the A-side until the group's label convinced them to release "True Faith" instead—would later be released as a single in its own right several years later, with two new versions.
In December 1987, the band released a further single, "Touched by the Hand of God", with aKathryn Bigelow-directed video parodyingglam-metal. The song was one of four new tracks recorded for the American comedy filmSalvation!, and reached number 20 on theUK Singles Chart and number 1 in theUK Independent Singles Chart. However, it would not appear on an album until the 1994 compilationThe Best of New Order.
By this time, the group was heavily influenced by theBalearic sounds ofIbiza, which were making their way into the Haçienda. Partly recorded at Mediterranean Sound studios on Ibiza,Technique was released in February 1989. The album entered the charts at number one in the UK and contained a mix ofacid house influence (as on the opening track "Fine Time") and a more traditional rock sound (as on the single "Run 2"). The album is a blend of upbeat, accessible music coupled with blunt, poignant lyrics. During the summer of 1989, New Order supportedTechnique by touring withPublic Image Ltd,Throwing Muses andthe Sugarcubes across the United States and Canada in what the press dubbed the "Monsters of Alternative Rock" tour.[29] Around this time, band members also began side projects, includingElectronic (Sumner withJohnny Marr) andRevenge (Hook with Davyth Hicks). Morris and Gilbert began to work together on outside TV theme production work. In 1991, the band was sued by the publishing company of American singerJohn Denver, who claimed that the guitar break in "Run 2" was similar to his song "Leaving on a Jet Plane".[30] The case was settled out of court, and the song has since been credited to both New Order and John Denver.[31]
In 1990, New Order recorded the official song of theEngland national football team's 1990World Cup campaign, "World in Motion", under the ad hoc band name EnglandNewOrder. The song, co-written by comedianKeith Allen, was the band's sole number one UK hit.[32] The song was originally planned to be titled "E for England"; howeverthe Football Association vetoed the title upon realizing that this was a reference toecstasy, a drug heavily associated with the Hacienda. (Allen claimed that his original draft lyrics included "E is for England, England starts with E / We'll all besmiling when we're in Italy."[33]) The song also featured chanting from members of the England team and Allen,[34] and a guest rap from England playerJohn Barnes.[35] It was again produced byStephen Hague, whom the band chose to produce their next album.
The band's next album,Republic, was shadowed by the collapse of their long-time label,Factory Records, in 1992. The label had been ailing due to financial difficulties and was forced to declare bankruptcy.[36] New Order never had a formal contract with Factory Records; although unusual for a major group, this was Factory's standard practice until the mid-1980s. Because of this, the band, rather than Factory Records, legally owned all of their recordings. This has been cited by Wilson himself[37] as the main reason whyLondon Records' 1992 offer to buy the ailing label fell through.[38] Following Factory's collapse, New Order signed with London Records, as did Morris and Gilbert separately for their side project,the Other Two. The Other Two'sdebut album was originally intended for release on Factory.Republic, released around the world in 1993, spawned the singles "Regret"—New Order's highest-charting single in the US—"Ruined in a Day", "World", and "Spooky".
Following the release and promotion ofRepublic, the band put New Order on hold while focusing on side projects, withthe Other Two's debut album released in 1993. In 1994, a second singles collection was released, entitledThe Best of New Order. It featured all of the band's singles sinceSubstance as well as a few extra tracks: "Vanishing Point" (from 1989'sTechnique), "The Perfect Kiss", "Thieves Like Us", "Shellshock", and remixes of "True Faith", "Bizarre Love Triangle", "1963", and "Round & Round". The new versions of "True Faith" and "1963" (the latter as a more guitar-orientated version produced byArthur Baker) were released as singles to promote the album. In the US, the track listing was altered to set it apart fromSubstance as well as the UK release ofThe Best of New Order, which had been available months prior. This collection was followed by a remix album,The Rest of New Order, featuring a selection of existing and newly commissioned mixes of classic New Order tracks. Some versions contained an extra disc or cassette composed entirely of remixes of "Blue Monday". "Blue Monday" was released as a single for a third time to promote the collection.
The group reconvened in 1998 at the suggestion of Rob Gretton, nearly five years since they had last seen each other. Sumner said, "We decided before we agreed to doing any gig, to have a meeting, and if anyone had any grudges to bear, to iron them out."[39] By the second meeting everyone agreed to continue playing, scheduling their reunion gig for the Phoenix Festival that same year. In addition to rarer songs, New Order also decided to begin playing Joy Division songs again.[40] When the Phoenix Festival was cancelled due to low ticket sales, New Order instead played the last night of that year'sReading Festival.[41]
Their 2001 albumGet Ready largely departed from their more electronic style and focused on more guitar-orientated music. According to Sumner, "Get Ready was guitar-heavy simply because we felt that we'd left that instrument alone for a long time."[42] Long-time fanBilly Corgan ofthe Smashing Pumpkins played guitar and sang backup on the track "Turn My Way", and in 2001 toured with the band on dates in the UK, US, and Japan for a short period of time.Phil Cunningham (formerly ofMarion) joined the band in a live capacity, deputizing for Gilbert, who declined to tour in favour of caring for her and Morris' children.Primal Scream'sBobby Gillespie provided vocals on the track "Rock the Shack". Singles from the album included "Crystal", "60 Miles an Hour" and "Someone Like You".
In 2002 New Order released the single "Here to Stay", produced bythe Chemical Brothers, which also featured on thesoundtrack to theMichael Winterbottom film24 Hour Party People. The film depicts the rise and fall of Factory Records and features portrayals of the band. Scenes from the film appear in the single's music video.
Also in 2002,Q featured New Order on their list of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die",[43] although this was as part of a sub-list of "5 Bands That Could Go Either Way".
The band released a new album on 27 March 2005, titledWaiting for the Sirens' Call, which was their first with new member Phil Cunningham. Cunningham replaced Gilbert (now married to Morris) so she could look after their children. Singles from this album were "Krafty", "Jetstream" (which features guest vocals byAna Matronic fromScissor Sisters), and thetitle track. At the 2005NME Awards, New Order and Joy Division received the award for "Godlike Geniuses" (for lifetime achievement). Previous winners includeOzzy Osbourne,the Clash, andHappy Mondays. In 2006 the album track "Guilt Is a Useless Emotion" was nominated for aGrammy Award in the category ofBest Dance Recording.
In the autumn of 2005, the group released another greatest hits compilation, in the form ofSingles. The two-disc release was an updated version of theSubstance collection and contained every single released from their 1981 debut all the way through to "Waiting for the Sirens' Call". However, unlikeSubstance, which focused almost exclusively on the 12-inch versions of the group's singles,Singles collected the 7-inch versions, many of which (like "Ceremony", "Temptation" and "Confusion") had never been released on CD. The album was accompanied by a two-disc DVD set, titledItem, that collected the extended UK version of the documentaryNewOrderStory with a DVD of all New Order music videos as well as two newly commissioned videos for "Temptation '87" and "Ceremony".
TheNew Order: Live in Glasgow DVD was recorded at the Glasgow Academy in 2006 and features 18 tracks, including 4 Joy Division songs.[44] Next to that, the release also contains a bonus disc of footage from the band's personal archive, including 1980s footage from Glastonbury (June 1981), Rome, Cork, Rotterdam and Toronto.
In 2006, the band played several one-off live dates as well as short tours in the UK, Brazil and Argentina. After theirBuenos Aires show in November 2006, Peter Hook suggested that the band should stop touring.[45] In early May 2007, Hook was interviewed by British radio stationXFM—originally to talk about his contribution to the debut album ofJane's Addiction singerPerry Farrell's new band,Satellite Party—and stated that "Me and Bernard aren't working together." Further complicating the news, NewOrderOnline, a website with support from New Order management, reported that according to "a source close to the band", "The news about the split is false... New Order still exists despite what [Hook] said ... Peter Hook can leave the band, but this doesn't mean the end of New Order."[46] However, Sumner revealed in 2009 that he no longer wished to make music as New Order.[47]
In September 2011, the band announced that they would perform for the first time since 2006 at theAncienne Belgique, Brussels, on 17 October and at theBataclan, Paris, on 18 October.[48] The band's line-up included keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, who returned to the band after a ten-year break, andBad Lieutenant bassistTom Chapman in place of Peter Hook.[49] They played subsequent shows in London and South America in December and releasedLive at the London Troxy, a live album from their performance on 10 December 2011 atThe Troxy in London.[50]
They continued to tour throughout 2012, including a short tour of New Zealand and Australia in February/March and several festival appearances in 2012. New Order performed atHyde Park withBlur andthe Specials to celebrate theclosing of the 2012 Summer Olympics.[51]
Lost Sirens was released in the United Kingdom in January 2013.Lost Sirens is an eight-track album of songs recorded during the sessions forWaiting for the Sirens' Call. The album was discussed by Gillian Gilbert in a Brazilian interview to promote the band's appearance inSão Paulo. She acknowledged issues with former member Peter Hook and stated there was "a lot going on behind the scenes on the copyright" delaying the release.[52]
The band debuted their first new song since theWaiting for the Sirens' Call sessions, "Singularity", duringLollapalooza Chile in March 2014.[53] In July, the group toured North America,[54][55] where they debuted another song, "Plastic".[56] On 2 September the band signed toMute Records. The New Order back catalogue remains with Warner Music.[57][58]
In September 2015, the band released a new album,Music Complete, their first withoutPeter Hook. The album was produced mostly by the band themselves, except "Singularity" and "Unlearn This Hatred", both produced by Tom Rowlands, while "Superheated" features additional production by Stuart Price.[59]
In May 2016, New Order released a follow-up remix album,Complete Music, which consists of extended and reworked mixes of each track fromMusic Complete.[60][61]
In November 2015, Peter Hook sued Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert. In an objection, it was revealed that Sumner, Morris and Gilbert had set up a new company behind Hook's back, which generated an income of £7.8 million in four years, while Hook received only a fraction of that sum. The three members argued they had treated Hook fairly and that his stake in the band's royalties was reasonable, despite the fact that in four years, Hook had only received "1.25 per cent of the band's royalties and other income from merchandising and performances". The judge ruled that there was "at least a reasonable prospect" of Hook proving that he was not getting a fair share of royalties and other income and rejected Sumner and Morris's lawyer's argument. The judge was willing to hear the case but urged the parties to come to an agreement rather than suffer legal costs of around £900,000.[62] On 20 September 2017, the band announced that a full and final settlement had been reached in the dispute.[63][64]
On 13 July 2017, New Order played a concert atManchester International Festival withLiam Gillick.[65][66] In July 2019 the performance was released as a live album titledΣ(No,12k,Lg,17Mif) New Order + Liam Gillick: So it goes.. (Live at MIF).[67] The collaboration between Gillick and New Order was the subject of the documentary featureNew Order: Decades, directed byMike Christie and broadcast in the UK bySky Arts andShowtime in the US.
On August 23, 2018, the band kicked off their North American tour at thePalace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, with stops in Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Long Beach, and Hawaii. In November, they also performed in Santiago, Chile.
In January 2020, the band played a four-night residency atThe Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater inMiami Beach, Florida, and in February 2020, they announced a co-headlining tour in North America with thePet Shop Boys,[68] and that the only concert in the UK in 2020 would be at The O2 on 10 October. These tour dates were later rescheduled for 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In September 2020 the band released the single "Be a Rebel", 5 years after their previous release. A music video for the single, directed by NYSU, premiered onYouTube in December.[69]
In February 2021, the band announced their plans to release a live album and concert film of their 2018 show at London's Alexandra Palace, directed byMike Christie. EntitledEducation Entertainment Recreation (Live at Alexandra Palace), it was released on 7 May.[70][71][72]
New Order kicked off their Unity Tour (with thePet Shop Boys) on 17 September 2022. The tour consisted of 13 dates in the United States and Canada.[73]
New Order kicked off their 2023 UK and European tour on 21 September 2023.[74]
New Order kicked off their 2025 tour on 25 February 2025. The tour is ongoing and consists of 9 dates in Japan (withMark Reeder and special guestDenki Groove), Australia (with Juno Mamba and DJ TinTin), and the United States.[75]
In 1988, Bernard Sumner teamed up with formerSmiths guitaristJohnny Marr to form the groupElectronic; Sumner and Marr also enlisted the help ofNeil Tennant andChris Lowe of thePet Shop Boys. Electronic regrouped in 1996 forRaise the Pressure, which also featuredKarl Bartos (formerly ofKraftwerk). The project's third album,Twisted Tenderness, was released in 1999; after the album's release, the band dissolved.
In June 2009, Sumner formed a new band calledBad Lieutenant withPhil Cunningham (guitar) and Jake Evans (guitar and vocals). Their albumNever Cry Another Tear was released on 5 October 2009.[76] In addition to Cunningham and Evans, the album also features appearances byStephen Morris (drums),Jack Mitchell (drums),Tom Chapman (bass) andAlex James (bass). The live band included Morris on drums and Chapman on bass.[77]
Peter Hook has been involved with several other projects. In the 1990s, Hook recorded withKilling Joke with a view to joining the band. However, original bassistMartin 'Youth' Glover instead returned to the band.[78] In 1995, he toured withthe Durutti Column.[79] He has recorded one album with the bandRevenge with Davyth Hicks and Chris Jones and two withMonaco (both as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist) with David Potts. Monaco scored a club andalternative radio hit with "What Do You Want From Me?" in 1997. Hook also formed a band calledFreebass with fellow bass playersMani (the Stone Roses) andAndy Rourke (the Smiths) in addition to vocalistGary Briggs.Freebass was active from 2007 to 2010. He also contributed toPerry Farrell'sSatellite Party. Hook's current band,Peter Hook and the Light is touring and performing full albums from bothJoy Division and New Order.[80]
In 1990, Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris formed their own band,The Other Two. The Other Two released its first single, "Tasty Fish" in 1991 and released two albums,The Other Two & You in 1993 andSuper Highways in 1999. They have also been involved in scoring television soundtracks, likeMaking Out.[81] In 2007, Gilbert and Morris remixed two tracks for theNine Inch Nails remixes albumYear Zero Remixed.[82]
"BeMusic" was a name the band used for their publishing company (the LP label forMovement says "B Music" in large letters, though using anitalicß for the letterB). All four members of the band used the name for production work for other artists' recordings between 1982 and 1985.[83]
BeMusic was first credited when Peter Hook producedStockholm Monsters in 1982. Other artists with producer or musician credit for "BeMusic" were52nd Street,Section 25,Marcel King,Quando Quango,Paul Haig,Thick Pigeon,Nyam Nyam, andLife.
Their production work as BeMusic was collected on twoLTM Recordings compilation CDs,Cool As Ice: The BeMusic Productions[84] andTwice As Nice (which also included production work by Donald Johnson ofA Certain Ratio andArthur Baker).[83]
New Order is known to incorporate elements of both rock and dance music, as showcased by the songs "Temptation" (1982), "Blue Monday" (1983), and "True Faith" (1987). According toAllMusic, the band is considered "the firstalternative dance" music group, having "fused icy, gloomypost-punk with Kraftwerk-stylesynth-pop".[85] Critics have also described the band as synth-pop,[86][87] post-punk,[88]alternative rock,[89]new wave,[90]dance-rock,[91]electronic rock,[92] andelectronica.[93]
Early influences on New Order included the rock musiciansNeil Young,David Bowie, andIggy Pop.[94] Founding member Hook stated that the band's transition from playing cold, dark post-punk to producing more synthesizer-driven music from 1982, was inspired by the German electronic groupKraftwerk, theGiorgio Moroder/Donna Summer collaboration "I Feel Love", and the US rock bandSparks (who had produced disco/electro-rock music with Moroder on theirNo. 1 in Heaven album).[95] Frontman Sumner noted that his shift in songwriting style was also influenced by English electronic groups such asCabaret Voltaire,the Human League, andOMD.[96]
Drummer Stephen Morris used a combination of acoustic and electronic drums, while all members of the band were observed switching instruments during live performances. This is documented inJonathan Demme's video for "The Perfect Kiss" and the concert videosTaras Shevchenko (recorded in New York, November 1981)[97][failed verification] andPumped Full of Drugs (Tokyo, May 1985).[98][failed verification] During live shows, Sumner alternated between guitar, keyboards, melodica, cowbell, and, during performances of "Confusion", bass guitar. Gilbert switched between keyboards and guitar, Morris between drums and keyboards, and Hook between bass and electronic drums. In early performances, band members sometimes left the stage before the final song "Temptation" had concluded, allowing sequencers and drum machines to complete the track.[99][unreliable source?]
Almost all New Order recordings have distinctive packaging, andPeter Saville was theart director.[100] The group's record sleeves bucked the 1980s trend by rarely showing the band members (with the exception of theLow-Life album) or even providing basic information such as the band name or title of the release.[101] Song names were often hidden within the shrink-wrapped package, either on the disc itself (such as the "Blue Monday" single), on an inconspicuous part of an inner sleeve ("The Perfect Kiss" single), or written in a cryptic colour code invented by Saville (Power, Corruption & Lies). Saville said his intention was to sell the band as a "mass-produced secret" of sorts and that the minimalist style was enough to allow fans to identify the band's products without explicit labelling.[14] He frequently sent the artwork straight to the printer, without review by either the band or the label.[102] Their 1983 album,Power, Corruption & Lies, was one of ten classic album covers from British artistscommemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by theRoyal Mail.[103][104]
The band have influencedtechno,rock, and pop musicians includingMoby,[105]the Killers,[106] andthe xx.[107] Numerous covers of their songs have been released, notablyOrgy's cover ofBlue Monday, as well as severaltribute albums.
Dramatized versions of New Order appear in two films,24 Hour Party People (2002) andControl (2007).24 Hour Party People, directed byMichael Winterbottom, depicts the rise and fall of Factory Records as seen through the eyes of founderTony Wilson, played bySteve Coogan. The film includes portrayals of managerRob Gretton and designerPeter Saville. Thesoundtrack features several New Order tracks, including "Here to Stay" and a cover of "New Dawn Fades" featuring Moby.Control, directed byAnton Corbijn, traces Ian Curtis' life from the founding of Joy Division until his suicide. While the members of New Order are portrayed in the film, New Order as such is only hinted at in the final scene. In addition to several tracks on thesoundtrack, New Order contributed the original incidental music.
Following in the path ofJoy Division, New Order were also among the most successful artists on the Factory Records label, which was run by Granada television personalityTony Wilson. New Order partnered with Factory to finance the Manchester clubThe Haçienda. Speaking in 2009, fellow synth-pop musicianPhil Oakey described New Order's slow-burn career as cult musicians as being unusually prolonged and effective: "If you want to make a lot of money out of pop, be number 3 a lot. Like New Order did."[108]
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | NME Awards | Power, Corruption & Lies | Best Dressed Sleeve | Won |
| "Blue Monday" | Best Single | Won | ||
| Themselves | Best Group | Won | ||
| 1988 | Brit Awards | "True Faith" | Best British Video | Won |
| Pollstar Concert Industry Awards | Themselves | Most Creative Stage Production | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Nominated | |||
| 1991 | Ivor Novello Awards | "World in Motion" | Best Selling A Side | Nominated |
| 1993 | Mercury Prize | Republic | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Billboard Music Awards | Themselves | Top Modern Rock Tracks Artist | Nominated | |
| "Regret" | Top Modern Rock Track | Won | ||
| 1994 | Brit Awards | British Single of the Year[109] | Nominated | |
| British Video of the Year | Nominated | |||
| International Dance Music Awards | Best Alternative 12"[110] | Won | ||
| D&AD Awards | "World (The Price of Love)" | Pop Promo Video | Wood Pencil | |
| 1999 | Q Awards | Themselves | Q Inspiration Award | Won |
| 2000 | ASCAP Pop Music Awards | "Blue Monday" | Most Performed Song[111] | Won |
| 2001 | Q Awards | "Crystal" | Best Single | Nominated |
| Žebřík Music Awards | Themselves | Best International Surprise[112] | Nominated | |
| 2005 | NME Awards | Godlike Genius Award | Won | |
| 2006 | Grammy Awards | "Guilt is a Useless Emotion" | Best Dance Recording | Nominated |
| MTV VMAJ | "Krafty" | Best Dance Video | Nominated | |
| 2012 | UK Festival Awards | Themselves | Headliner of the Year | Won |
| Artrocker Awards | Legend Award[113] | Won | ||
| 2015 | Q Awards | Q Outstanding Contribution To Music | Won | |
| "Restless" | Best Track | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Vinyl | Music Complete | Best Art Vinyl[114] | Nominated | |
| 2016 | International Dance Music Awards | "Plastic" | Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track | Nominated |
| 2019 | Silver Clef Awards | Bernard Sumner | Outstanding Achievement Award[115] | Won |
| 2024 | Rolling Stone UK Awards | Themselves | The Icon Award[116] | Won |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)new order post-punk.
New Order didn't approve it, they rarely saw it. More often than not they would go directly from me; "Blue Monday" for example went directly from me to the printer.
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