We Revisit Joy Division’s Seminal ‘Unknown Pleasures’ LP On Its 40th Anniversary

This August will see Joy Division’s legendary bass player Peter Hook join forces with The Metropolitan Orchestra to bring his brand new project Joy Division Orchestrated to Australia. The shows will see classic tracks from the seminal UK post-punk outfit performed in a new light with a full orchestral arrangement. This is the first time that an original member of the group has taken part in such a project.

Ahead of the tour, we’ve decided to look back at the group’s 1979 seminal album Unknown Pleasures and the key players outside of the band - Hook, frontman Ian Curtis, drummer Stephen Morris, and guitarist Bernard Sumner - who helped shape the classic release. 

Peter Saville - graphic designer

Even if you’re not familiar with the album itself, chances are you’ve seen its cover across someone’s t-shirt in Fitzroy, Newtown or anywhere else across the globe. Saville’s work goes much further than just Joy Division, and subsequently New Order, having gone on to produce artwork for the likes of Peter Gabriel (1986’s So), Martha & The Muffins (1980’s Metro Music), Wham! (1986’s Music From The Edge Of Heaven), Roxy Music (1980’s Flesh & Blood). He was a founding member of Factory Records, the label that would release Joy Division’s work. Last year, he redesigned Burberry’s logo and just this week, he walked the catwalk for Ferragamo.

Martin Hannett - producer

Hannett first met Hook, Curtis and Sumner between 1976 and 1977, when they first appeared as Warsaw and he was booking shows around Manchester; he added Warsaw to his roster soon after. In 1978, Hannett would first work with the group to produce their tracks Digital and Glass. Hannett would ultimately go on to record both Unknown Pleasures and their final work, Closer. He was tasked with producing U2’s debut album, Boy, but passed up the opportunity following the death of Curtis. Hannett work continues to influence long after his own death in 1991, at age 42, helping shape tracks from artists like Happy Mondays, Buzzcocks, Stone Roses and more in their formative years. 

Rob Gretton - manager

Gretton met the group soon after they began booking shows with Hannett; it was during 1977 that they crossed paths at Rafters where Gretton was the venue’s resident DJ. He’d recently began managing local acts and the newly renamed Joy Division soon joined this roster. Gretton scored rights for the group’s Ideal For Living back from RCA Records early on and was fundamental in the transition from Joy Division to New Order. Following the dissolution of Factory Records in the ‘90s, he started his own Rob’s Records.

Tony Wilson & Alan Erasmus - Factory Records co-founders

Perhaps at the centre of the Joy Division world is the iconic, and infamous, Factory Records; the label that launched them. Founded in 1978, the label would go on to helm the Madchester music scene, in part through its influence with nightclub The Haçienda, which was co-owned by the members of New Order. Wilson would pass away in 2007, following a long career as a journalist in addition to his many music industry roles. Erasmus has kept a pretty low profile since the closure of Factory Records, you can catch snippets of them both in this 1988 documentary from Wired.

Peter Hook Presents Joy Division Orchestrated Australian tour kicks off at the Sydney Opera House on 2 August and will head to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. Head to theGuide for all the info on dates, venues and tickets. 

Sponsored by TEG Dainty.