2 languages
Joy Division
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Joy Division was formed in 1976 in Salford, near Manchester, after Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook had seen a Sex Pistols concert. The line-up was Ian Curtis (vocals), Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Hook (bass) and Stephen Morris (drums). The group first played as Warsaw and from early 1978 was called Joy Division. Joy Division is one of the bands that turned punk into post-punk: the same do-it-yourself attitude, but slower, darker and with more space.
Music and breakthrough
The band signed to Factory Records, Tony Wilson's Manchester label, and worked with the producer Martin Hannett. Unknown Pleasures was released in June 1979. Hannett had each part of the drum kit recorded separately, so that the drums sound dry and almost mechanical, and used digital delays and echoes. Hook plays his bass high up the neck, so that the bass often carries the melody. The band was not happy with the result: Sumner felt that Hannett had turned the guitars down. Peter Saville's sleeve, with the radio signals of a pulsar, later became a famous image. In 1980 came Closer and the single Love Will Tear Us Apart, which reached number 13 in England.
Influence
Curtis suffered from depression and epilepsy. On 18 May 1980, on the eve of the first American tour, he took his own life. He was 23. The other three continued as New Order and, with drum machines and synthesizers, sought out the dance floor. Joy Division influenced later post-punk, gothic rock and alternative rock. In 2026 Joy Division and New Order were inducted together into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Listening
She’s Lost Control · Joy Division, 1979Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 1979Unknown Pleasures
- 1980Closer
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 4: When Rock Was Still PopNL Reader
- Mixtape 7: The 1980sNL Reader
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 3NL Reader
- Magazine: Unknown PleasuresNL Magazine
- Magazine: The Man Who Sees MusiciansNL Magazine
- Magazine: Cut, Paste and ScandalNL Magazine
Mentioned in other articles
- Postpunk Genre
Joy Division from Manchester released their records on the local label Factory; in New York, Talking Heads showed that rock could be nervous, ironic and danceable.
- Unknown Pleasures Album
Joy Division formed in 1976 in Salford, after Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook had seen a Sex Pistols gig.