Interview - Peter Hook: Looking back at life in two iconic bands

As bass player in post-punk band Joy Division and then New Order he was one of the pivotal figures in the much-eulogised Manchester music scene that centered around Factory Records, the Hacienda nightclub and Acid House. This colourful and, at times, turbulent period forms the basis of Hook's latest tour, An Evening Of Unknown Pleasures, and he is joined on stage by another counter culture icon, former drug smuggler Howard Marks.

The gigs are a mixture of the two men ruminating on their passions and past misdemeanours, interspersed with rare footage of Joy Division and The Hacienda and Hook playing a couple of live songs. "We've both had plenty of ups and downs, but the chemistry on stage seems to work. It's a bit of juxtaposition, Howard's more wacky and offbeat compared to me," explains Hook.

The show, which calls in to Wakefield and Hull, also gives audience members the chance to quiz Hook about anything they want. "It's all very off the cuff and I'll answer anything that anyone asks me."

There's certainly no shortage of topics to cover given the fact that Joy Division and New Order remain two of the most critically acclaimed and influential bands of the last 30 years.

"We were either very lucky or very talented to be part of two such important bands," he says. "I'm glad to have been in both Joy Division

and New Order because it means nobody can compare me to either of them. It seems that every new band that comes along these days gets compared to one of them, whether it's The Editors or La Roux."

Hook's musical odyssey started in the mid-70s when he co-founded Joy Division with schoolfriend Bernard Sumner after going to watch a Sex Pistols gig.

"That was what got me into the idea of being in a band, which is all the more poignant with Malcolm McLaren passing away recently."

They were joined by vocalist Ian Curtis and produced two studio albums before Curtis hanged himself in his Macclesfield home in 1980.

The surviving band members reformed as New Order and found themselves at the heart of Manchester's musical revolution that inspired the film 24 Hour Party People.

"It was like a constant party for about four years but in the end unwelcome visitors gatecrashed the party and ruined it," says Hook.

The well-publicised gatecrashers he refers to were the gangsters and drug dealers who brought about the Hacienda's eventual demise, marking the symbolic end of the so-called Madchester era.

"I remember sitting with Tony Wilson with our heads in our hands saying, 'how did it come to this?'" Hook says the hangover from this period lasted for the best part of a decade.

"It was a great time but I don't want to glorify it, I lost a great many friends and saw some reduced to a shell of what they were, so I was one of the lucky ones."

In recent years, following his split from New Order, Hook has established himself as a much sought-after DJ, doing gigs all over the world.

"I'd been resisting it valiantly for years because I used to think that DJs were arrogant, overpaid t**** and then I realised how much I fitted in.

"The second best job in the world is getting paid to play other people's music – the best job in the world is playing your own."

Being a DJ has opened his eyes to all kinds of music. "It's great because you know what the kids are listening to and you realise why you started making music in the first place."

As well as DJing and touring, Hook is also doing a one-off gig in Manchester next month, when he will perform Joy Division's debut album in its entirety – marking the 30th anniversary of Curtis's death.

"It's 30 years since Joy Division and I want to celebrate the music we made together. It's unfortunate not to be able to do it with Steve and Bernard, but I wasn't going to let it go because this album laid the road for my life.

"If nobody else comes and it ends up with just me playing to a couple of mates, I don't care, because those songs were such an important part of my life and I'm going to celebrate those 30 years – and if anyone else wants to come along for the ride, then great."

An Evening of Unknown Pleasures is at Wakefield Theatre Royal, on April 27, and Hull Truck Theatre on May 2.

PETER HOOK

Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner formed Joy Division in 1976 after seeing The Sex Pistols at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. Singer Ian Curtis joined the band after responding to an advert in a record store. Drummer Stephen Morris completed the quartet.

Joy Division released two albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer, but disbanded in 1980 after lead singer Curtis committed suicide.

The surviving band members reformed as New Order. Their 1983 song Blue Monday is the biggest-selling 12" UK single ever.

Hook co-owned the Hacienda nightclub, and was married to comedy star Caroline Aherne.