The bands of Bernard Sumner

Bernard Sumner: A Career Across Five Bands

Bernard Sumner is one of post-punk and electronic music's most restless figures, having fronted or co-founded five notable acts over five decades.

**Joy Division** (1976–1980) — Sumner co-founded the band as guitarist, originally under the name Warsaw. Their peak came with *Unknown Pleasures* (1979) and *Closer* (1980), the latter released posthumously just months after singer Ian Curtis's death in May 1980, which cut the band's run tragically short at just two studio albums.

**New Order** (1980–present) — Formed by the surviving members of Joy Division, with Sumner stepping into lead vocals. The band's creative and commercial peak arrived with *Power, Corruption & Lies* (1983) and especially *Technique* (1989), alongside the genre-defining single "Blue Monday" (1983). New Order remains active, with Sumner still fronting the group today.

**Electronic** (1989–1999) — A collaboration with Johnny Marr (The Smiths), later featuring guest contributions from Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys). The project's peak was its self-titled debut, *Electronic* (1991), which produced the hit "Getting Away With It."

**The Other Two** (1990s) — A more peripheral side project alongside New Order bandmates Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris, with Sumner's role limited mainly to guest contributions rather than a core membership.

**Bad Lieutenant** (2009) — Formed during a New Order hiatus with Phil Cunningham (New Order/Marion) and Jake Evans. Released a single studio album, Never Cry Another Tear (2009), which stands as the project's sole and therefore peak release.

Genre breakdown

3.5bn all-time streams (26 Jul '26)

2.4bn all-time streams (26 Jul '26)

59.6m all-time streams (31 Jul '26)

1.9m all-time streams (7 Aug '26)

1.4m all-time streams (27 Jul '26)