New Order, Blur Members Form Bad Lieutenant

Who needs Peter Hook?

The members of New Order have formed a new band called Bad Lieutenant with Blur's Alex James on bass.

New Order and Bad Lieutenant singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner told BBC Newsbeat the quartet's album should be out in October and they've already recorded it.

"I'm very proud of it, it's a very good album," Sumner said. "It's pretty guitary, too, because we've got three guitarists in the band."

Sumner told BBC Newsbeat the band would tour later this year and will play festivals next year. He also said more Manchester musicians would tour with Bad Lieutenant.

Sumner and New Order drummer Stephen Morris and guitarist Phil Cunningham had a falling out with Hook in 2007. Hooky claimed the band were no more, but the other three members said that wasn't the case and Hook had just left the band. Hooky fired back with a lengthy MySpace blog entry.

Sumner still insists Hook left the band.

"We split into two factions, there's me, Steve and Phil," Sumner told BBC Newsbeat about the acrimonious breakup. "The other is Peter Hook.

"Basically he left the band. That's all I want to say about it."

New Order formed in 1980 from the ashes of Joy Division after that band's lead singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide on the eve of the band's first North American tour.