Joy Division’s Ian Curtis honoured with a mural in Macclesfield

Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis has been honoured with a mural in Macclesfield, the city where he grew up and also died. The painting was created by street artist Akse and commissioned by the Cheshire East Council which says that the mural of “one of Macclesfield’s finest musicians now has pride of place in the town centre.” The mural is based on an original photograph of Ian Curtis, taken by Kevin Cummins in 1979, and has been painted on a building on Mill Street, opposite of the Macclesfield bus station. It was officially unveiled yesterday (26 March 2022), with Akse and Joy Division bassist and co-founder Peter Hook cutting the ribbon:

“I am actually very honoured to be here, and to do this, because to me it’s about time Ian came home.”– Peter Hook

Ian Curtis grew up in Macclesfield, attended King’s School in Macclesfield and also found his last peace in Macclesfield Cemetery, following his suicide in 1980. After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining band members of Joy Division – Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris – went on to form a new band: New Order. In 2007, New Order and Peter Hook parted ways, with the latter forming a new band, Peter Hook & The Light.

The life of Ian Curtis has also been the subject of Anton Corbijn’s film “Control”, based on the biography “Touching From A Distance” by Ian Curtis’ widow Deborah Curtis. “Control” was released in 2007.