New Order Releases First New Song in Five Years “Be A Rebel” and Announces Fall 2021 Co-Headlining The Unity Tour Dates with Pet Shop Boys

Iconic new wave outfit New Order have released their first new single in five years “Be A Rebel” and have also announced the rescheduled tour dates with Pet Shop Boys, which was cancelled this year due to COVID-19. This single was originally supposed to be released ahead of that scheduled tour this year, but was released now to give fans hope during the crisis.

“Be A Rebel” is a nostalgic work that fits in well with many of New Order’s well-known track, with its bright synths, club ready beat, house style piano progressions and disco-infused string inflections. Vocalist Bernard Sumner brings his signature style onto the track, solidifying its sound as a distinctly New Order track.

“In tough times we wanted to reach out with a new song. We can’t play live for a while, but music is still something we can all share together. We hope you enjoy it… until we meet again,” Summer stated in a press release.

The story of New Order stems from the ashes of Joy Division, a post-punk outfit headed by Ian Curtis until his suicide in 1980. The surviving band members went on to form New Order and pushed the direction of the group’s sound into synth pop territory.

New Order stays true to their roots, with Sumner and band member Stephen Morris recently holding a talk during a tribute to the late Curtis earlier this year. The group is also set to have never before released track featured on the upcoming compilation album The Longest Day. Check out our review of their 2019 live album ∑(No,12k,Lg,17Mif) New Order + Liam Gillick: So it goes… here.

Artwork Photograph by Søren Solkær
Artwork Design by Warren Jackson

Tour Dates:

9/18 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
9/20 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
9/22 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
9/25 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann
9/28 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
10/1 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion
10/3 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
10/7 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
10/9 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
10/13 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
10/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl

Cancelled 2020 Dates:

9/5 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
9/9 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
9/11 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann
09/12 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
9/15 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
9/18 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
9/20 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory
9/24 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
9/26 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
9/30 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
10/2 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl

Photo Credit: Marv Watson