What band were the members of "New Order" first in?

The members of New Order were first in Joy Division. Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris formed the core of New Order after Joy Division ended in 1980.

Joy Division began in Salford in 1976 as Warsaw, later adopting its better-known name. The band became a major post-punk act through songs such as “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and albums including Unknown Pleasures and Closer. Singer Ian Curtis died in May 1980, shortly before the group’s planned first North American tour.

The surviving members had agreed that they would not continue using the Joy Division name if a member left. They therefore regrouped as New Order, initially as a trio and soon adding Gillian Gilbert on keyboards and guitar. Their first New Order single, “Ceremony,” grew from a song written during the Joy Division period.

A common mix-up is to call Joy Division and New Order simply different names for the same band. They shared important members and musical roots, but New Order developed a distinct electronic, dance-oriented sound and became especially influential through songs such as “Blue Monday.”