Celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Joy Division’s landmark debut album continued yesterday (June 15) with ‘Unknown Pleasures’ artwork projected on buildings in Manchester.

Lyrics and the album cover’s iconic black and white waveforms design were displayed on the outside of Manchester Town Hall in St Peters Square. Elsewhere, Deansgate Square’s West Tower has “40” emblazoned on its exterior.


Joy Division are regarded as one of Manchester’s most important bands and were at the vanguard of Britain’s post-punk era when they released ‘Unknown Pleasures’ in 1979. The band’s frontman, Ian Curtis, took his own life in 1980 which caused the group to disband and later regroup as New Order.

Read more: Joy Division – 20 things you didn’t know about ‘Unknown Pleasures’

In addition to the projections, free ‘Unknown Pleasures’ t-shirts were handed out in Manchester yesterday to mark the album’s 40th anniversary as well as raise money for charity.

People fortunate enough to pick up a t-shirt were encouraged to donate money to two charities chosen by Ian Curtis’ family and members of the band, which are Calm Zone and Big Change MCR.

Earlier this week (June 13), it was announced that a series of films celebrating ‘Unknown Pleasures’ were being released.