{"id":664913,"date":"2026-06-29T20:23:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/664913\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T20:23:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:23:12","slug":"stephen-morris-and-gillian-gilbert-arent-playing-live-with-new-order-for-the-foreseeable-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/664913\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert aren\u2019t playing live with New Order “for the foreseeable future”"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Order<\/a>\u00a0have\u00a0announced that Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert will not be touring with the band \u201cfor the foreseeable future\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Manchester band confirmed the news in a statement on social media today (June 29), in which they said the decision had been made \u201cdue to personal health reasons\u201d, without going into any further detail.<\/p>\n

Morris was the drummer in\u00a0Joy Division<\/a>\u00a0alongside\u00a0Bernard Sumner<\/a>,\u00a0Peter Hook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ian Curtis<\/a>, and the remaining members formed New Order after Curtis\u2019 death in 1980. Gilbert joined shortly afterwards, becoming a defining part of the band\u2019s move from post-punk into electronic music.<\/p>\n

The news marks a major change to New Order\u2019s live incarnation, which has been centred around Sumner, Morris and Gilbert since the band returned in 2011 without founding bassist Hook.<\/p>\n

New Order are very happy to be playing Primavera in Chile in November marking the band\u2019s first performance there in seven years.<\/p>\n

Due to personal health reasons, Stephen and Gillian won\u2019t be touring for the foreseeable future and will not be joining for this show. Bernard, Phil\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/3Vo8bB9fl2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New Order (@neworder) June 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Hook left New Order in 2007, later becoming involved in\u00a0a long-running legal dispute with Sumner, Morris and Gilbert over ownership of assets and the use of the New Order name<\/a>. A\u00a0\u201cfull and final settlement\u201d was reached in 2017<\/a>, but relations have\u00a0remained\u00a0strained.<\/p>\n

Speaking during a recent appearance on\u00a0YouTube show\u00a0Rock Daydream Nation, Hook said he had\u00a0already\u00a0heard\u00a0that\u00a0Morris and Gilbert were leaving New Order.<\/p>\n

\u201cBarney is touring in New Order on his own this year, because Stephen and Gillian have left, that\u2019s what I\u2019ve heard,\u201d he said. \u201cSo now Barney is New Order. Which is quite interesting. He\u2019s actually booked a gig in Chile that he will be playing as the only member of New Order, which is quite rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Order are due to perform at Festival Fauna Primavera in Santiago, Chile in November. At the time of writing, they have not confirmed who will play with Sumner in Morris and Gilbert\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s most recent touring line-up has featured Sumner, Morris, Gilbert, guitarist Phil Cunningham and bassist Tom Chapman.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The line-up change comes during a significant year for New Order and Joy Division,\u00a0who are due to be inducted together into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame later this year<\/a>. Curtis, Gilbert, Hook, Morris and Sumner have been named as the inducted members, but earlier this year, Hook told Rolling Stone<\/a>\u00a0he did not plan to stand alongside his former bandmates at the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. No. Not after what they did to me and my family, no,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0stand with\u00a0them. No. I\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0give a shit [how it would work].\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not bothered.\u00a0You\u2019ve\u00a0got to have morals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of bad blood under that very big bridge,\u201d Hook added.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0he\u00a0has\u00a0also joked that Oasis could potentially\u00a0stage peace talks\u00a0between the estranged bandmates<\/a>, saying: \u201cMaybe Liam and Noel could be the intermediaries that you\u2019re looking for. They might be like, \u2018OK, you two. Let\u2019s shake hands and get up there and play \u2018Transmission,\u2019 \u2018Love Will Tear Us Apart,\u2019 and \u2018Blue Monday\u2019.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Gilbert previously stepped away from New Order in the early 2000s to care for her daughter, with Cunningham initially joining as her live replacement. She later returned for the band\u2019s 2011 reunion and appeared on their 2015 album \u2018Music Complete\u2019, their first without Hook.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In 2020,\u00a0Kelly Lee Owens told\u00a0NME\u00a0that she wanted to see more recognition for Gilbert<\/a>, calling her a role model and \u201csynth queen\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Gillian as part of New Order\u2019s line-up in the \u201980s and \u201990s was iconic,\u201d Owens said. \u201cShe was just up there doing her thing, and she looked so cool. She needs to be celebrated as the synth queen she is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris and Gilbert have also released\u00a0music together\u00a0outside New Order as The Other Two. Their debut album, \u2018The Other Two & You\u2019,\u00a0arrived in 1993, followed by \u2018Super Highways\u2019\u00a0in 1999.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year,\u00a0New Order announced \u2018The Best & The Rest Of New Order\u2019<\/a>, a remastered collection featuring classic singles alongside rare and previously unreleased remixes.\u00a0It\u00a0is set for release on July 17.<\/p>\n

Joy Division also recently announced \u2018Eternal\u2019<\/a>, a huge new live\u00a0recordings\u00a0box set featuring 14 CDs and two DVDs. The set, due out on September 30, collects live material from the band\u2019s short but hugely influential career.<\/p>\n