Joy Division

Such is the quality of Joy Division’s catalogue, it’s impossible not to ruminate on what heights the iconic Manchester quartet might have scaled if their charismatic frontman, Ian Curtis, hadn’t so tragically taken his own life, aged just 23, in May 1980.

Initially known as Warsaw, the group formed as punk fomented in 1977; after releasing the spirited An Ideal For Living EP that same year, their rate of growth was truly staggering. Joy Division’s intense live performances, plus Curtis’ erudite lyrics and haunting baritone, helped build their reputation, while the group’s mercurial producer, Martin Hannett, gave their landmark debut album, Unknown Pleasures, an extra coating of timelessness. On its own, that seminal work would have sustained Joy Division’s legend, but their cathartic later releases – the towering ballad Atmosphere, signature hit Love Will Tear Us Apart and their glacially beautiful final album, Closer – ensures we’ll be marvelling at what this singular post-punk outfit achieved for many decades to come.