Joy Division (band)

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joy Division were an English rock band. It was made up of Ian Curtis (vocals), Peter Hook (bass guitar), Stephen Morris (drums) and Bernard Albrecht (AKA Sumner, guitar). They came out of the punk music scene around 1976, and in three years time became a band that inspired musicians from bands such as U2, Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Cure.

During the Anarchy in the UK tour, the Sex Pistols played in Manchester on June 4. In the audience that night were three young men living around Manchester: school mates Peter Hook and Bernard Albrecht, and Ian Curtis. A few days later, Hook and Albrecht decided to start up a band, with Hook on bass and Albrecht on guitar. They got Terry Mason as a drummer, but still needed a singer. They placed an ad in the Virgin record shop in Manchester. Curtis answered it and became the singer of the band, called at the time the Stiff Kittens. He would also write the lyrics.

They practiced a lot during a few months, and wrote their first songs. In May of 1977, the band's name was changed to Warsaw and Mason was replaced on drums by Tony Tabac. Just a month later, Tabac left and Steve Brotherdale was hired as new drummer. It was at the same time that Paul Morley of the NME and DJ Rob Gretton found out about the band and saw its potential. Warsaw made a demo tape with five songs in the Pennine Sound Studios in July, but Brotherdale quit the group a few days later.

Finally, Stephen Morris joined the band. In October, they played at the Electric Circus, which was due to close down, along with The Fall and The Buzzcocks.

In December, they recorded four songs, which were to appear later as "An Ideal For Living". In January of 1978 the band changed its name to Joy Division to avoid any confusion with another group. They practised a lot and wrote new songs. On April 14 1978, they played along with 16 bands in a contest. Tony Wilson, who worked for Granada TV, and Rob Gretton liked their performance very much.

[edit] External links

• Enkiri.com - Biography, pictures and lyrics of the band
• Ian Curtis Fans Club – song information, discography, gigography, recording session details, etc.
• Joy Division Central – Independent Joy Division site covering every aspect of the band in great detail
• Incubation – Joy Division's most detailed discography and press articles
• Joy Division Myspace Page Unofficial Joy Division Myspace Page
• Joy Division Messageboard – A moderated board with over 1400 members covering a wide range of Joy Division related topics