New Order

The group that will become Joy Division forms in Manchester under the name Warsaw. Sumner, Hook and Curtis meet through mutual connections in the Manchester punk scene.

Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook attend the Sex Pistols show at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, an event often cited as a catalyst for their decision to form a band.

Warsaw changes its name to Joy Division. The band signs with Factory Records, the Manchester independent label run by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus.

Joy Division release Unknown Pleasures, produced by Martin Hannett. The record receives critical acclaim in the British music press and builds the band a dedicated following through extensive touring.

Joy Division ends after the death of Ian Curtis, aged 23, on the eve of the band's first North American tour. Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris decide to continue under a new name.

The unnamed trio of Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris perform at Manchester's Beach Club before the New Order name is settled.

Gillian Gilbert makes her live debut with New Order, completing the classic early four-piece line-up.

Ceremony, written during Joy Division's final period, becomes New Order's debut single and reaches the UK Top 40, bridging the two bands' histories.

New Order release the re-recorded version of Ceremony, now featuring Gillian Gilbert.

Procession continues the band's early singles run before the release of Movement.

Everything's Gone Green points toward the band's growing interest in electronic rhythm, sequencing and dance structure.

Temptation opens up a warmer, more melodic New Order sound and becomes one of the band's defining early songs — the first to lean fully into an extended dance structure.

Confusion, co-produced with Arthur Baker in New York, deepens the band's connection to New York club culture and electro.

Thieves Like Us continues New Order's run of major non-album singles, produced again with Arthur Baker.

Murder appears as an instrumental release in the band's Factory-era catalogue.

The Perfect Kiss becomes one of the band's major mid-80s singles and a live favourite, accompanied by a Jonathan Demme-directed film shot at the Haçienda.

Sub-culture extends the Low-Life era with a club-facing single release.

Shellshock appears during the band's mid-80s run and is associated with the Pretty in Pink soundtrack.

State of the Nation arrives around the Brotherhood era and later appears on many editions of the album.

Bizarre Love Triangle becomes one of New Order's most enduring songs and a defining example of their melodic electronic pop.

Substance compiles all of New Order's 12-inch singles and B-sides, reaching #3 in the UK and becoming the definitive document of their singles output.

Touched by the Hand of God continues the band's late-80s singles run.

Blue Monday 1988 brings the band's defining single back into the charts in remixed form, timed to a new generation of dance floors as acid house sweeps the UK.

Fine Time introduces the Technique era with a club-focused sound.

Round & Round becomes one of the major singles from Technique.

Run 2 closes the main singles run from Technique.

Peter Hook's project Revenge releases One True Passion, part of the growing side-project landscape around New Order.

Electronic — the project featuring Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr — releases its self-titled debut album, reaching #2 in the UK.

Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert release Tasty Fish as The Other Two.

Regret introduces the Republic era and becomes one of New Order's most successful singles.

Ruined in a Day continues the singles run from Republic.

World (The Price of Love) is released as another single from Republic.

Spooky becomes the final single from the Republic campaign.

The compilation (the best of) New Order reframes the band's catalogue during the long break between studio albums.

1963, originally connected to True Faith, is released as a single in its own right.

Peter Hook and David Potts release Music for Pleasure as Monaco, reaching #11 in the UK.

New Order return to live activity after several years away.

Rob Gretton, Joy Division and New Order's long-time manager since 1978, dies aged 46 — a profound loss for the band and for Manchester's music community.

Phil Cunningham joins New Order, initially covering live duties while Gillian Gilbert steps back from touring.

Gillian Gilbert steps back from New Order's live activity during the Get Ready period.

Crystal introduces New Order's return with a heavier guitar-driven sound.

60 Miles an Hour continues the Get Ready singles campaign.

Here to Stay is released and becomes associated with the film 24 Hour Party People.

Krafty introduces the Waiting for the Sirens' Call era.

Jetstream, featuring Ana Matronic, becomes one of the album's main singles.

The title track from Waiting for the Sirens' Call is released as a single.

Guilt Is a Useless Emotion is promoted in the US during the Waiting for the Sirens' Call campaign.

Bernard Sumner, Phil Cunningham and Jake Evans release Never Cry Another Tear as Bad Lieutenant.

Peter Hook begins performing Joy Division and New Order material with Peter Hook & The Light.

The reunited New Order line-up performs at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.

New Order perform at the Bataclan in Paris as part of the 2011 benefit shows.

Lost Sirens is released from material recorded during the Waiting for the Sirens' Call sessions a decade earlier. Its release without Hook's involvement is itself a flashpoint in the ongoing dispute.

New Order announce Music Complete, their first album for Mute and their first full studio album without Peter Hook.

Restless introduces the Music Complete era.

Tutti Frutti highlights the renewed electronic-pop direction of the Music Complete era.

An extensive world tour in support of Music Complete takes the band across Europe, North America and beyond, including headline festival slots. In 2018 New Order play Coachella, introducing their music to a new generation.

People on the High Line continues the Music Complete singles run.

NOMC15 documents the modern New Order live line-up.

A settlement is announced in the dispute between Peter Hook and the rest of New Order.

New Order release the live album documenting their collaboration with Liam Gillick.

Be a Rebel is released — New Order's first new song since Music Complete — a driving, euphoric statement during the pandemic. A reworked expanded edition of Music Complete follows.

As venues reopen following the pandemic, New Order return with rescheduled and new dates across the UK and Europe. The shows underscore how enduringly the back catalogue travels across four decades.

Substance 1987 receives a major expanded reissue in new restorations, prompting renewed appreciation for one of the most creatively fertile periods in the band's history.

Brotherhood receives a Definitive Edition box set as part of New Order's archival reissue programme. New Order headline the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California.

New Order continue to perform live to sold-out audiences worldwide. Remastered editions of key catalogue albums are announced. Over forty years since their formation, the band remain one of the most distinctive and influential forces in British music.