New Order are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris.

[6] Between 1977 and 1980, Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, and Bernard Sumner were members of the post-punk band Joy Division, often featuring heavy production input from producer Martin Hannett.

[7] Curtis died by suicide on 18 May 1980, the day before Joy Division were scheduled to depart for their first American tour, and before the release of the band's second album, Closer.

[9] In summer 1980, the remaining three members recorded their first demos, including a track called "Haystack" with vocalist Kevin Hewick, whom Tony Wilson had suggested to be considered as the band's new front man.

[16] 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] With the release of 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 of synthesisers.

[24] 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".

The members of 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.

's "Dirty Talk" and Sylvester's disco classic, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)",[26] "Blue Monday" became the best-selling independent 12" single of all time in the UK; however, it was not on the track list of Power, Corruption & Lies.

The song was included however 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".

In 1984 they followed the largely synthesised single "Thieves Like Us" with the heavy guitar-drum-bass rumble of "Murder", a not-too-distant cousin of "Ecstasy" from the Power, Corruption & Lies album.

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 by Jonathan Demme – and "Sub-culture".

While New Order toured North America with friends Echo & the Bunnymen, the summer of 1987 saw the release of the compilation Substance, which featured the new single "True Faith".

The album entered the charts at number one in the UK and contained a mix of acid house influence (as on opening track "Fine Time") and a more traditional rock sound (as on the single "Run 2").

[32] Around this time, band members also began side projects including Electronic (Sumner with Johnny Marr) and Revenge (Hook with Davyth Hicks).

In 1991, the band were sued by the publishing company of American singer John Denver, who alleged that the guitar break in "Run 2" was similar to his song "Leaving on a Jet Plane".

"[42] Longtime fan Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins played guitar and sang back-up 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 of Marion) joined the band in a live capacity, deputizing for Gilbert who declined to tour in favor of caring for her and Morris' children.

Both New Order and Joy Division were portrayed in the Michael Winterbottom film 24 Hour Party People, depicting the rise and fall of Factory Records as seen through the eyes of label founder Tony Wilson.

Cameos by Wilson himself, along with Mark E. Smith of the Fall and former members of Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets, lent a degree of legitimacy to the proceedings.

[45] In early May 2007, Hook was interviewed by British radio station XFM—originally to talk about his contribution to the debut album of Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell's new band Satellite Party—and stated that "Me and Bernard aren't working together."

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.

[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 by Mike Christie.

[74] In 1988, Bernard Sumner teamed up with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to form the group Electronic, also enlisting the help of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys.

[78] He has recorded one album with the band Revenge with Davyth Hicks and Chris Jones and two with Monaco (both as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist) with David Potts.

Hook also formed a band called Freebass with fellow bass players Mani (the Stone Roses) and Andy Rourke (the Smiths) in addition to vocalist Gary Briggs.

According to a staff-written AllMusic history, the band are regarded as "the first alternative dance" music group, having "fused icy, gloomy post-punk with Kraftwerk-style synth-pop".

Along with Kraftwerk, the English bands Cabaret Voltaire, the Human League, and OMD educated frontman Bernard Sumner that one "could make music without guitars".

[94] New Order's collaboration with New York DJ Arthur Baker was inspired by the records' sounds of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force.

During their early performances, the members were known to leave the stage before the final song "Temptation" had concluded, allowing sequencers and drum machines to finish the track.