Word: bandness
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...hardly the demeanor devotees expect of a man celebrated not only as a hugely influential force in post-punk music, but also as the co-creator of some of the most deliciously gloomy tracks ever to chart. Yet, after 25 years as guitarist and front man for the band New Order, Sumner is entitled to kick back. Emerging in 1980 from Manchester's new-wave legends Joy Division, New Order pillaged and adapted rock and pop to revolutionize electronic dance music. Today, their synth-driven sound is aped by every group of serious-looking boys in eyeliner...
...dark memory will occlude the band's sunnier disposition - May 18 marks 25 years since Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis hanged himself. His suicide ended the short but revolutionary run of New Order's precursor. Formed in 1977 by working-class Mancunians Curtis, Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris, Joy Division embraced the social anger and energy of punk and took it in a different direction - improvising with electronic sound and synthesizers. The band was on the cusp of commercial success, but Curtis, an epileptic who was tortured by his failing marriage, took a sad shortcut...
...Reformed as New Order in the weeks after Curtis' death, with guitarist Sumner at the mic, the band refused fans' calls to rerecord or play Joy Division tunes. "It would have been too painful; it reminded you of Ian too much," explains Sumner. He adds that the group needed to prove it could make it on its own living merits: "I didn't fancy being an Ian Curtis impersonator, really." That was never a danger. The 1983 song Blue Monday proved a smash hit with clubgoers - becoming the biggest-selling 12-in. single ever - and New Order further anchored themselves...
...Meanwhile, since ending a five-year hiatus in 1998 - which feuding band members at the time suspected would be permanent - New Order finally discovered the courage to confront its painful origins. "We were so glad to be back together, it just felt the time was right to start playing Joy Division songs again," says Sumner. "Also, it was the best way we could think of remembering Ian. It was almost like bringing him back to life - or as much as we could." Yet another reason for fans to be cheerful...
...Harvard fans nice? Where are those crazy people that throw beer cups at athletes and get into fights with them? Why is it that, without the help of a pep band, most Crimson fans can’t even get a cheer of “Let’s go, Harvard” going...