An unearthed photo shows Ian Curtis at a Christmas party

A photo, unearthed in a Macclesfield Facebook group and subsequently shared by radio presenter Geoff Lloyd, shows Ian Curtis of Joy Division partying in a pretty unexpected setting: the staff Christmas party of Macclesfield Unemployment Office in the 1970s.

“I'm in a Macclesfield group on Facebook, and someone put up a picture of his dad's work Christmas drinks from the 70s,” Lloyd explains. “He worked at Macclesfield Unemployment Office and Ian Curtis from Joy Division is one of the colleagues.”

Apparently, Curtis began working there in 1978, where his role was to help those with mental or physical disabilities with finding work. He certainly seems to have got on with the team, who are all huddled together in the picture.