Peter Hook

Peter Hook, known as Hooky, is a British rock musician from Salford, United Kingdom. He is the bass player and co-founder of Joy Division, and later performs with New Order, the group formed by the surviving members after Ian Curtis dies. His work is closely associated with post-punk, new wave and synth-driven rock, and his bass playing becomes one of the defining sounds of both bands.

Joy Division and New Order

Hook co-founds Joy Division with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. They recruit Ian Curtis on vocals and Stephen Morris on drums to complete the line-up. In Joy Division, Hook’s bass parts are central to the band’s stark sound, with songs driven by rhythmic, melodic lines rather than conventional guitar parts. After Curtis’s death in 1980, the remaining members continue as New Order.

With New Order, Hook sings lead on some of the first album Movement, including “Dreams Never End” and “Doubts Even Here”. He also plays keyboards and electronic drums at points in the band’s work, while his bass style becomes more melodic as the group develops a sound built around sequenced and synthesised elements. He records further albums with New Order including Get Ready and Waiting for the Sirens’ Call before leaving the band in 2007.

Side projects and collaborations

Between major New Order periods, Hook takes part in several other projects. Ad Infinitum is a short-lived act that includes Lindsay Reade and members of Stockholm Monsters, and it releases a cover of Joe Meek’s “Telstar”. In 1990 he forms Revenge with Dave Hicks and Chris Jones, combining techno and hard rock elements while also singing. Revenge issues One True Passion and later Gun World Porn.

Hook later works with vocalist David Potts in Monaco. The group releases Music for Pleasure in 1997, followed by Monaco in 2000 after label delays hold the second album back. The track “What Do You Want from Me?” becomes a club and alternative radio hit. He also contributes bass to recordings by Perry Farrell, Hybrid and the Crystal Method.

Freebass brings Hook together with other bassists Andy Rourke and Mani. The group releases several EPs and the album It’s a Beautiful Life in 2010. Peter Hook and the Light are formed to perform Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and Closer in full, and launch at The Factory, Hook’s Manchester nightclub. The group releases the EP 1102/2011, which includes a version of “Atmosphere” with Rowetta on vocals, and also releases Unknown Pleasures: Live in Australia.

Other work

Hook also DJ’s and compiles The Hacienda Classics and The Hacienda: Acid House Classics. He writes How Not to Run a Club and serves as executive producer on Hacienda Classical, a live orchestral project built from music associated with The Hacienda, which also appears as a 2016 album. In 2020 he appears on Gorillaz’s “Aries” as part of the Song Machine project, alongside drummer Georgia.