Born on January 4: Bernard Sumner, New Order is still his company

His real name is Bernard Dicken, and he was born in 1956 in Salford, a suburb of Manchester in north-west England.

Along with bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris, the early years of his artistic career remain inextricably linked to that of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, who committed suicide in May 1980 at the age of just 23. Together, they recorded two albums that remain benchmarks of tortured new wave: “Unknown Pleasures” (1979) and “Closer” (1980).

Stunned by the tragic death of their charismatic singer, the three survivors didn't hesitate too long before taking up the torch again, now accompanied by keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, under the name New Order. 

Still the undisputed spearhead of the iconic Factory label, as a tribute to Curtis, the band first finished recording tracks already in gestation, such as the single “Ceremony”, followed by “Movement” (1981), a transitional album on which the ghost of Curtis undeniably loomed large. 

From “Power Corruption And Lies” (1983) onwards, with bass lines as bewitching as ever, New Order gradually took a more melodic, electro turn, even daring to call it pop on “Your Silent Face”, for example (with its saucy, sour melodica). Under a magnificent cover by Peter Saville, the content is no less abrupt overall... 

As early as “Low-Life” (1985), even though it includes little bijpux like “Sub-culture”, tensions between Sumner and Hook begin to appear. In 1989, the album “Technique” gave the Manchester band their first UK No. 1, thanks in particular to “Blue Monday”. After the “Republic” album, Sumner and Hook took a break from the band for the first time, despite a lengthy reunion in the early 2000s. 

Without ever having become a technically flawless singer, Bernard Sumner now embodies New Order's more accessible vision, while Peter Hook has become the guardian of the Joy Division temple.

(Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Bernard Sumner with New Order on stage at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (Belgium), June 15, 1981.