Bernard Sumner autobiography set for September release

New Order rocker Bernard Sumner has promised to give fans a “vivid and illuminating” account of his life’s ups and downs in his first autobiography. The British singer has confirmed the release of Chapter And Verse (New Order, Joy Division And Me), which will detail his upbringing in Salford, Manchester, and tell all about his time in Joy Division and the 1980 suicide of frontman Ian Curtis, the formation of New Order and his bitter fall out with bandmate Peter Hook, who quit the group in 2007.
He will also share stories behind tracks like Blue Monday and about Manchester’s legendary club venue the Hacienda.
A press release about the book reads: “Sometimes moving, often hilarious and occasionally completely out of control, this is a tale populated by some of the most colourful and creative characters in music history.”
The memoir will go on sale in September (14).
Hook has previously penned two of his own autobiographies, 2009’s How Not to Run a Nightclub and 2013’s Unknown Pleasures, but he has held off writing about his time with New Order because “there’s so much bitterness”. He added, “You don’t want it to become a b**chfest.”
Joy Division stars Sumner, Hook and Stephen Morris formed New Order in 1980 following Curtis’ death.