Pamono Joy Division Original Vintage UK Concert Poster, Edinburgh, 1980> Posters

A rare original concert poster for a planned performance by influential British post-punk rock band Joy Division at the Astoria, Edinburgh, on Thursday 8th May 1980. The concert was cancelled due to the ill health of lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis, who would commit suicide only ten days later on 18th May, leading the surviving members of the band to regroup as New Order. The exquisitely stark black and white poster features the iconic cover artwork created by legendary graphic designer Peter Saville for the band’s 1979 debut album Unknown Pleasures. Saville based the enigmatic design on an image of radio waves from pulsar CP 1919 which the band had spotted in the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy. Reviewing the album for BBC Online, Susie Goldring said of the cover artwork: “Its white on black lines reflect a pulse of power, a surge of bass, and raw angst.” Moving beyond an instantly recognisable symbol of the band among fans, the artwork has become a ubiquitous cultural signifier for cool. Despite their fleeting career, Joy Division’s melancholy sound and moody aesthetic inspired a generation of alternative musicians and their enduring cultural legacy continues to be felt today.