New Order’s Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert quit touring

It’s been a bad season to be a New Order fan. In April, former bassist Peter Hook told reporters that he refused to speak to the band “after what they did to me and my family,” even though the band is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall. And now, the band has announced that drummer Stephen Morris, 68, and keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, 65, will no longer be touring with the band due to unspecified health issues. The announcement comes as New Order are set to play Primavera Sound Chile in November. “Due to personal health reasons, Stephen and Gillian won’t be touring for the foreseeable future and will not be joining for this show,” a statement by the band posted to social media read. “Bernard [Sumner], Phil [Cunningham] and Tom [Chapman] are really sorry that Stephen and Gillian can’t join us this time, but unfortunately the circumstances make it impossible.”

The step away leaves Bernard Sumner as the sole original member of the group, which formed in 1980 after the dissolution of Joy Division. Hook had previously claimed that Morris and Gilbert were no longer part of the band, raising speculation as to their involvement in the group’s upcoming commitments. He called the decision to tour with one member under the moniker New Order “quite rich, because they actually sued me for passing myself off as New Order when we were doing the court case, they brought a case against me for passing myself off as New Order and Joy Division at the same time, which is pretty good going, isn’t it that.” He continued, “With just Barney in it, I cannot imagine… but I suppose he gets the Dracula effect of being able to suck on the blood of the young session men.”

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