A New Beginning: This performance was part of New Order’s first U.S. tour, staged a little over a year after Joy Division singer Ian Curtis’s death. It marked a crucial step in the band’s transition and the beginning of their effort to define an identity separate from their previous group. Musical Evolution: On this tour, New Order moved beyond Joy Division’s post‑punk austerity, embracing synthesizers and propulsive rhythms. In New York they unveiled an early, unreleased ten‑minute version of Temptation, drawing rave reviews and cementing their reputation at the forefront of post‑punk. Video Recording: The show—performed in 1981 in New York City—was filmed by Michael Shamberg and later released on VHS as Taras Shevchenko, capturing the band in a raw, transitional phase and becoming a vital document of their early career. The Ukrainian National Home’s name—and the portrait of poet Taras Shevchenko hanging behind the stage—were prominently displayed, underscoring the venue’s cultural co