Bad Lieutenant

by Andy Kellman
Formed in 2007 by guitarist Bernard Sumner (Joy Division, New Order, Electronic), Bad Lieutenant -- indeed named after Abel Ferrara's 1992 film starring Harvey Keitel -- feature guitarist Phil Cunningham (Marion, New Order) and vocalist Jake Evans (Rambo & Leroy). With New Order officially split, Sumner's longtime musical partner Stephen Morris, along with Blur's Alex James, aided Bad Lieutenant during the recording of their debut album, Never Cry Another Tear (Triple Echo, October 2009), which was preceded by the September single "Sink or Swim." Around the time of the song's release, the band began gigging with Morris (apparently not a full-fledged member, however) on drums and Tom Chapman on bass.