New Order’s impact on British music and beyond is undeniable. The post-punk/New Wave pioneers’ introduced electronica into the 80s mainstream with their Top of the Pops appearances early in the decade, delivering groundbreaking performances of their moody top ten hits that announced a brand new era of melodic innovation.
In 1983, the band made history when they insisted on performing their massive hit Blue Monday fully live on the show, making them the first band to do so. While not remembered as one of their best sounding performances, it is demonstrative of a punk ethos carried over from their Joy Division days, in which their synth-driven pop hits were heavily steeped, equally catchy and mechanical as emotional and raw.
In 1987, New Order appeared for the third time on the Top of the Pops stage for an inspired performance of Substance lead single, True Faith. With a new ground finesse marked by growth and experience, Bernard Summer lead the band with a confident, melancholic minimalism, animated by Peter Hook’s spacey bass solo and glued together by pulsating synths and driving rhythms of Gillian Gilbert’s and Stephen Morris’ seamless blending of human and machine.
Such rapid evolution is just one marker of a band destined to redefine pop culture as their career unfolded. Watch their inspired performance of True Faith below!.
New Order | ‘True Faith’ [‘Top of the Pops’, 1987]
While the single that preceded it was titled Bizarre Love Triangle, it was New Order’s official music video for True Faith that highlighted their ‘bizarre’ side!
What can only be described as surreal, the video unfolds like a long strange trip, free-falling through a Salvador Dali painting. The video was choreographed by Philippe Decouflé, a dancer, mime and theatre director, and won Best Music Video at the 1988 BRIT Awards. Remember the masterstroke in Avantgarde below!
New Order | ‘True Faith’ [Official Music Video]
New Order has an expansive reissue of their third studio album 1985's Low Life arriving this month. The 'Definition Edition' of Low Life will uncover 12 previously unreleased mixes and alternative versions of tracks from the album and includes two DVDs of rarely-seen live performances, plus a hardcover book designed by legendary Factory Records artist, Peter Seville.
The vinyl album and CD are both wrapped in the original tracing-paper sleeve – not available since the very first pressing. Check out the bundle options and pre-order, here.
GET NEW ORDER ALBUMS, HERE.
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