Joy Division, the influential post-punk English rock band known for their biggest hit, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and other impactful music, officially made their live debut under this name on Jan. 25, 1978.
48 years ago, the group performed at the venue Pips Disco in Manchester, England, for the first time with their new name, Joy Division. Before this, the group was known as Warsaw, but they had to change their name to avoid confusion with another band called Warsaw Pakt.
Joy Division previously played a live show and recorded demos while under the name Warsaw, but the Manchester show in January was their first time on stage with the name that would bring them rock music fame.
Consisting of members Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris, the band’s first release, an EP called An Ideal for Living, came out in June 1978. It included four songs: “Warsaw,” “No Love Lost,” “Leaders of Men,” and “Failures.”
The band’s popularity slowly grew, and their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, came out in April 1979 and was quite successful. Joy Division supported the band Buzzcocks on a U.K. tour later that year.
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In early 1980, Joy Division went on a European tour before recording their second album, Closer. But during this time, Curtis dealt with epilepsy and depression, as well as tensions in his marriage with his wife, Deborah. In May, shortly before the band was to embark on a U.S. tour, Curtis died by suicide.
The rest of the members posthumously released “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and Closer, which reached major heights of success. After Curtis’ death, Joy Division officially disbanded, with Sumner, Hook, and Morris forming a new band called New Order with Gillian Gilbert.
In the years since, New Order formed a new sound and made their own name in rock history, with hit songs like “Blue Monday” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.”