Joy Division

A Salford band that made two albums with producer Martin Hannett and is counted among the pioneering post-punk groups.

Origin: Salford, England
Years active: 1976-1980
Genres: post-punk, rock
Labels: Factory Records, Sordide Sentimental
Also known as: Warsaw

Salford and Warsaw

Joy Division formed in Salford in 1976. Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook each went to a Sex Pistols concert at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall on 4 June 1976, and both left inspired. With the drummer Terry Mason they formed a band. After advertising for a singer they took on Ian Curtis, who answered the advertisement and was hired without an audition. Playing as Warsaw, they debuted on 29 May 1977 at the Electric Circus, supporting the Buzzcocks. Stephen Morris answered a drummer advertisement in August 1977 and completed the line-up.

The band became Joy Division and in June 1978 put out a self-released EP, An Ideal for Living. At a Manchester concert in April 1978 they caught the eye of the television presenter Tony Wilson and of Rob Gretton, who became their manager. The band asked to be released from a contract with RCA Records. Two tracks produced by Martin Hannett appeared on A Factory Sample, the first release by Wilson's Factory Records. They made their television debut on 20 September 1978, playing Shadowplay on So It Goes, and recorded a session for John Peel in January 1979.

Unknown Pleasures

The debut album, Unknown Pleasures, was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport over three weekends in April 1979, with Hannett producing. He used digital delays, tape echo and odd sounds, including a bottle smashing and the studio lift. The band's loud, aggressive live sound was not what he put on tape. Sumner said they felt Hannett had toned down the guitars, while Hook said in 2006 that Hannett "created the Joy Division sound". Peter Saville designed the sleeve around a plot of radio pulses from a pulsar.

Factory released no singles from the album. It opens with Disorder and includes She's Lost Control. Its first pressing was 10,000 copies and it did not chart on release. After a UK tour supporting the Buzzcocks that began in October 1979, the band issued the non-album single Transmission in 1979. Joshua Klein wrote in Pitchfork in 2007 that the album sounds like little that came before it.

Closer

Joy Division toured Europe in January 1980 and recorded their second album between 18 and 30 March at Britannia Row Studios in London, again with Hannett. The songs came from jam sessions in two periods: guitar-driven pieces from late 1979, and newer ones from early 1980 that leaned more on synthesisers. Sumner used self-built synthesisers and Hook played a six-string bass for more melody. The single Atmosphere appeared in France in March 1980 as "Licht und Blindheit". Their last live performance was at the University of Birmingham on 2 May 1980.

Ian Curtis died on 18 May 1980. Love Will Tear Us Apart came out in June 1980 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. Closer, opening with Atrocity Exhibition, followed on 18 July 1980 and reached number 6 on the UK Albums Chart. NME named it its album of the year.

After Joy Division

Between July and October 1980 the remaining members, joined by Gillian Gilbert, regrouped as New Order. The band had agreed that any departure or death would mean a new name. Factory kept the catalogue growing: Still in 1981, and in 1988 the singles collection Substance, which reached number 7 in the UK. London Records issued Permanent in 1995 and the box set Heart and Soul followed in 1997.

Control (2007), directed by Anton Corbijn, and Grant Gee's documentary Joy Division, also from 2007, both retold the story, and 24 Hour Party People (2002) dramatised the Factory years. The Unknown Pleasures sleeve became an image known well beyond the band's fans. Joy Division were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times and were inducted in 2026, as one act with New Order.

Members

Ian Curtis lead vocals, melodica (1976-1980)
Bernard Sumner guitar, keyboards, synthesiser (1976-1980)
Peter Hook bass (1976-1980)
Stephen Morris drums, percussion (1977-1980)

Records

An Ideal for Living 1978 · ep
The self-financed debut EP, recorded in Oldham for a budget of 400 pounds.
Unknown Pleasures 1979 · Factory Records
The debut: recorded in three April weekends with Martin Hannett, wrapped in a pulsar sleeve by Peter Saville.
Closer 1980 · Factory Records
The second album, made in March 1980 at Britannia Row and released that July.
Still 1981 · compilation · Factory Records
A 1981 collection of unused studio recordings and the band's last concert.
Substance 1988 · compilation · Factory Records
The 1988 singles collection, companion to New Order's own Substance.

Songs

Disorder Unknown Pleasures · 1979
The opening track of Unknown Pleasures, and the first one recorded for it.
She's Lost Control Unknown Pleasures · 1979
Hook's high bass line and Morris's mechanical beat, recorded twice.
Transmission Substance · 1979
A 1979 single that the band first recorded in 1978 and then re-cut at a faster tempo.
Atmosphere Substance · 1980
Issued first as a French single called Licht und Blindheit, then by Factory in 1980.
Love Will Tear Us Apart Substance · 1980
The June 1980 single, and the band's first chart hit.
Atrocity Exhibition Closer · 1980
The opening track of Closer, named after a J. G. Ballard book.

New Order, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, U2

Where to go next

Reference

Joy Division Encyclopedia article on the band's history, style and legacy.
Unknown Pleasures Album article covering the recording, sleeve and release.
Closer Album article on the second album.
Martin Hannett Article on the producer of both albums.
Factory Records Article on the Manchester label.
Peter Saville Article on the sleeve designer.
New Order Article on the band the surviving members formed.
Love Will Tear Us Apart Song article with recording history and cover versions.
Transmission Song article.
Atmosphere Song article on the single and its two releases.

Writing and criticism

Joy Division: 10 of the Best Ten songs, each with a short essay, from The Guardian in 2015.
Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures / Closer / Still Pitchfork's 2007 review of the three reissues.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2026 The Guardian's report of the 2026 inductees, including Joy Division/New Order.
From Factory Records to Oasis: a musical tour of Manchester A Guardian travel piece on Factory Records and Manchester's music history.

Sources

Joy Division, Wikipedia
Joy Division: 10 of the Best, The Guardian (2015-07-15)
Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures / Closer / Still, Pitchfork (2007-10-29)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Phil Collins, Oasis, Sade and Wu-Tang Clan among 2026 inductees, The Guardian (2026-04-14)
From Factory Records to Oasis: a musical tour of Manchester, The Guardian (2021-06-18)
Factory Records, Wikipedia
New Order (band), Wikipedia