New Order first emerged as a recording entity during the frozen dawn of 1981 with their debut single, “Ceremony.”
The remaining members of Joy Division were still shell-shocked from the suicide of singer Ian Curtis, picking up the pieces of their shattered dreams by re-recording a pair of songs originally slated for that band: “Ceremony” and its B-side, “In a Lonely Place.”
The track had been in shops for just weeks when New Order took the stage at Manchester’s CoManCHE Student Union on February 6, 1981. The moment was captured for posterity, and has just been shared by New Order. Watch it below.
The song’s raw, transcendental guitar bliss is readily apparent through the years and the transfer from film into the digital realm. Bernard Sumner’s vocals are seemingly buried in the mix purposely, mirroring the original Joy Division recordings of the track.
The video will be part of the forthcoming “Definitive Edition” of New Order’s debut album, Movement, which is scheduled for release April 5. The expansive box set will come packed with extras, including a DVD featuring thirty-five live songs performed around the world between 1981 and 1983.
