Joy Division and New Order are once again nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and they’re once again listed on the ballot together as one single entry. Both bands featured three of the same members — bassist Peter Hook, guitarist Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris — who’d formed New Order alongside keyboardist Gillian Gilbert following the 1980 death of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis.
As Hook tells ABC Audio, he feels that the joint nomination makes sense.
“Joy Division, the three main writers of the music were Bernard, Stephen and I,” Hook tells ABC Audio. “In New Order, the three main writers of the music are Bernard, Steven and I, so I don’t see much difference between that at all and I’m perfectly happy with that.”
And while Hook may be perfectly happy, the relationship between him and his now former bandmates is anything but. Things have remained frosty between Hook and New Order since he left the group in 2007, which has led to legal action.
If New Order and Joy Division are chosen for induction, Hook plans to attend the ceremony — “As my mother said, ‘You’d go to the opening of an envelope,'” he quips — but isn’t sure about the chances that might lead to a happy reunion.
“Our relationship is so bad. So bad,” Hook says. “I was receiving solicitors’ letters over Christmas. So the thing is that it hasn’t quietened down in any way. It is still cutthroat.”
Still, Hook is leaving the door open for reconciliation.
“You never know, do you?” he says. “This could be the peace deal that we need.”
The fan vote for the 2025 Rock Hall induction is open through April 21. The official inductee announcement will be made later in April.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
