Ian Curtis hanged himself on May 18, 1980, the eve of Joy Division’s first North American tour. In the direct aftermath, the surviving members were left in shock, almost paralyzed by denial. They quickly regrouped and reformed as New Order, fulfilling a promise they made as Joy Division to abandon the old band name should any one member leave. Their first gig without Curtis happened on July 29 at Manchester’s Beach Club, performing as a trio and without a name (some reports say they were listed, officially, as the “No Names”).
Two months later, as New Order, they would finally reach America, a band fractured and disjointed but intent on carrying on a building legacy. In the clip above, posted in honor of the band’s gig tonight at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston, New Order perform “Ceremony” live at the legendary club Underground in Allston, just outside Packard’s Corner on Commonwealth Avenue, within the jurisdiction of Boston University.
The date was September 30, 1980, and New Order performed a half-hour set, with Stephen Morris and Peter Hook on vocals. New Order’s first proper debut LP, Movement, would be released in November 1981.
Now a student dormitory, the Underground would exist only from February 1980 to June 1981, but its resume is nothing short of incredible, hosting performances by OMD, the Cure, Bush Tetras, Lydia Lunch, A Certain Ratio, Bauhaus, and countless others. Read more about it here in the Boston Phoenix and here in Wikipedia.
NEW ORDER SET LIST, 09.30.80 @ THE UNDERGROUND
“In A Lonely Place”
“Dreams Never End”
“Cries & Whispers”
“Truth”
“Mesh”
“Homage”
“Ceremony”
