Hell could freeze over, pigs could fly. But it’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame that might just be enough for Peter Hook to bury the hatchet with his old band, New Order.
The beloved ‘80s electronic rock-pop band, and its new wave predecessor Joy Division, was this week announced to the Rock Hall class of 2026. It was a case of third time’s a charm for the iconic British group, which had been nominated in 2023 and again in 2025.
Hook, along with Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris and keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, is a founding member of New Order, which emerged in 1980 following the death of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis.
In 2007, after a long run of hits, New Order would split. The group reunited in 2011, though Hook was not part of the lineup, instead continuing with his band Peter Hook & The Light. What came next was a very public falling out with his former bandmates, one that culminated in a legal battle over lost royalties, which would eventually be settled in 2017.
When the names of Joy Division and New Order were finally called out for Rock Hall induction, Hook couldn’t have been happier. “I am so happy about being accepted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame you would not believe it! It’s such a compliment to all the fans of Joy Division and New Order and now it’s been confirmed.” He also paid thanks to the late trio of Ian Curtis, Factory Records chief Tony Wilson, and band manager Rob Gretton and Tony Wilson, whose “inspiration and hard work has meant everything to me.”
The Manchester legends join fellow Brits Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Oasis and Sade in the latest round of Rock Hall inductees, alongside R&B great Luther Vandross, and culture-shifting hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan.
Induction is long-overdue for New Order, which boasts two U.K. No. 1 albums with 1989’s Technique and 1993’s Republic, and their anthem for England’s 1990 FIFA World Cup efforts, “World in Motion,” topped the singles chart. In the United States, six New Order singles have impacted the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and nine titles have crashed the Billboard 200. Their influence and sound, a dynamite combination of catchy pop songs with live instruments, future-fitted for dancefloors, goes far beyond chart positions.
New Order posted a slide on their social pages, celebrating their Rock Hall moment.
The 2026 induction ceremony will take place Nov. 14 in Los Angeles, to be aired on ABC and Disney+ in December. With his message, Hook gave the strongest of hints that New Order could get the old band back together for the big occasion. “I will be delighted to be inducted and am looking forward to the night so much! See you there,” he writes.
Peter Hook & The Light will return to North America this August and September for a 22-date tour, performing the 2001 New Order album Get Ready in its entirety, along with the “most seminal” cuts from the Joy Division and New Order catalogues.
New Order’s tenth and latest studio album, Music Complete, was released in September 2015. The group toured through 2025.
