Birth name Peter Woodhead Years active 1976–present | Name Peter Hook | |
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Instruments Bass guitar, vocals, electronic drums, synthesizer, guitar, melodica Associated acts Role Bass player · peterhook.co.uk Similar People Profiles | ||
Learn new order s ceremony with peter hook
Peter Hook (born Peter Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the bassist and co-founder of English rock bands Joy Division and New Order.
Contents
- Learn new order s ceremony with peter hook
- Peter hook showing appreciation towards photographers manchester photographic
- Early life
- Joy Division 1976 80
- New Order 1980 93
- Post New Order disbanding 1993 98
- New Order reformation 1998 2007
- Post New Order disagreement 2007 present
- Personal life
- Playing style
- Basses
- Amplification and effects
- Film portrayals
- Books
- References
Hook formed the band which was to become Joy Division with Bernard Sumner in 1976. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them until 2007.
Hook has recorded one album with Revenge (One True Passion), two albums with Monaco (Music for Pleasure and Monaco) and one album with Freebass (It's a Beautiful Life), serving as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist. He is currently the lead singer and bassist for Peter Hook and the Light.
Peter hook showing appreciation towards photographers manchester photographic
Early life
Peter Hook was born Peter Woodhead on 13 February 1956, in Broughton, Salford, England, to Irene (née Acton; 1928–2000), and John Woodhead. When he was three years old, in 1959, his parents divorced. He and his brothers were brought up by his maternal grandmother Alicia Acton (née Chapman; 1896–1968) until 1962, when his mother remarried Ernest W. Hook. Like his bandmate Bernard Sumner, he took his stepfather's surname, although in contrast to his friend he kept it, even creating his nickname, "Hooky", from it. Because of his stepfather's work, he spent part of his childhood in Jamaica before returning to Salford, where he attended Salford Grammar School.
Joy Division (1976-80)
On 20 July 1976, childhood friends Bernard Sumner and Hook separately attended a Sex Pistols show at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The following day Hook borrowed £35 from his mother to buy his first bass guitar. Inspired by the performance, Sumner and Hook formed a band with their friend Terry Mason, who had also attended the show.:571
Their band, originally called Warsaw, debuted on 29 May 1977 at the Electric Circus, supporting the Buzzcocks, Penetration and John Cooper Clarke.:68 The band played their first gig as Joy Division on 25 January 1978 at Pip's Disco in Manchester.:19
New Order (1980-93)
In 1980, after Joy Division, Hook formed New Order. The band continued until they first broke up in 1993.
In 1984, Hook recorded the single "Telstar" with the band Ad Infinitum, which was composed of him and members of the Stockholm Monsters. In the late 1980s, Hook also worked as a producer for bands such as Inspiral Carpets and the Stone Roses.
Post New Order disbanding (1993 - 98)
In 1995 he toured with the Durutti Column. He has recorded one album with the band Revenge and two with Monaco (both as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist) with David Potts, the latter of which scored a club and alternative radio hit "What Do You Want From Me?" in 1997.
New Order reformation (1998 - 2007)
New Order Reformed in 1998.
Hook also contributed to Perry Farrell's Satellite Party. His bass can be heard on "Wish Upon a Dogstar" and "Kinky". Inspired by Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets, he started with the Return to New York nights in London. He contributed a distinctive bassline to Hybrid's 2003 single "True to Form", as well as another track from their Morning Sci-Fi album, "Higher Than a Skyscraper", playing on stage with them on a number of dates of their ensuing tour. In November 2008 Hook performed a selection of Joy Division and New Order songs in Paris, Brussels, Oss and Krefeld with Section 25.
In 2003, he contributed bass to a number of tracks on Hybrid's album Morning Sci-Fi, including the single "True to Form". Hook also co-owned the Suite Sixteen recording studio formerly Cargo Studios which Hook purchased with Chris Hewitt in 1984. Cargo and Suite Sixteen in Kenion Street, Rochdale were major studios in the history of punk and post punk music. A blue plaque was unveiled on the Kenion Street music building in Rochdale that used to house the studios in September 2009 and Peter Hook played a special concert in Rochdale on that day with Section 25 donating all proceeds to the Back Door Music Project, a Rochdale youth project for people interested in music.
In the mid 00s Hook was regularly performing as a DJ, however he was discovered to be playing pre-mixed CD's and only miming the actions of a DJ. He admitted he was only pretending to be a DJ on his Myspace blog, but then removed it due to public backlash.
Post New Order disagreement (2007 - present)
On 4 May 2007, Hook announced on Xfm that he and New Order singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner were no longer working together, effectively spelling the end for the band; the band later denied disbanding. He then played and recorded a studio album, It's a Beautiful Life, with a new band project called Freebass with bass players Mani (The Stone Roses) and Andy Rourke (ex-the Smiths).
Hook and Potts reformed Monaco on two occasions in 2007, with original drummer Paul Kehoe and Hook's son Jack completing the line up for two gigs at Manchester's Hard Rock Cafe in March and at the Ritz Theatre in October.
Hook is featured on "Dirty Thirty" and "Blunts & Robots", two tracks off of the Crystal Method's 2009 album Divided by Night. Hook recently compiled "The Hacienda Acid House Classics" following on from his original mix of "The Hacienda Classics" in 2006. In October 2009, Hook published his book on his time as co-owner of the Hacienda, How Not to Run a Club.
Hook then opened a new club and live venue in Manchester, FAC 251 – The Factory, in February 2010 singing lead vocals with his band, the Light. The club is situated in the old head offices of Factory Records in Manchester city centre. On 18 May 2010, the 30th anniversary of Ian Curtis' death, the Light performed a set of Joy Division songs including every track from Unknown Pleasures. In 2010, Hook also recorded and released two EPs on American indie record label 24 Hour Service Station as Man Ray with production partner and Freebass keyboardist Phil Murphy. The first, released in April and entitled "Summer '88", revisited the staple sounds of the Hacienda nightclub, with the duo using a mixture of classic Roland synths and drum machines to simulate early Acid House vibes. "Tokyo Joe" followed in December, blending Hook's trademark high range bass sound and old school punk inflected vocal chant with Murphy's classic synths, guitars and drum machines to produce an indie dance track reminiscent of classic New Order. The song was also used as the theme to FAC 251 – The Factory.
In 2010, six 'Peter Hook Hacienda Bass' guitars were to be built using the maple dancefloor sections from the Hacienda as the fretboard on the neck of the guitar.
In 2011, Peter Hook and the Light released "1102 2011 EP", four versions of Joy Division songs, including the previously unrecorded "Pictures In My Mind." The EP takes its name from the palindromic recording date of 11 February 2011 at Blueprint Studio, Salford. Featured Happy Mondays' vocalist Rowetta sings versions of "Atmosphere", "New Dawn Fades" and "Insight". Hook sings "Pictures In My Mind", an unfinished Joy Division track discovered on a demo recording unearthed by the band's "bootleg society" from a rehearsal tape stolen in 1977, setting it between Warsaw and Unknown Pleasures. The effervescent and punk tinged tune was completed for this release, and was declared "a worthy addition to the Joy Division canon" by BBC 6Music DJ Mark Radcliffe.
In 2012, Hook launched a brand new master's degree programme in Music Industry Management and Promotion at the University of Central Lancashire, due to start in October 2012. It provides an opportunity to study the music business at postgraduate level and to get hands-on experience of working within the industry. Students will combine their academic studies with a placement in a commercial music industry institution working on real world projects. The course offers industrial experience which will involve working in the Factory 251 venue in Manchester, providing contact with significant industry figures connected with this culturally important company. Hook was awarded an honorary fellowship from the same institution on 11 July 2012.
On 29 January 2013, Hook published "Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division"; an autobiographical account of the brief existence of the ill-fated band.
In November 2015, The Guardian reported that Hook was suing his former band mates for continuing to use the name New Order.
On 6 October 2016, he released the book Substance: Inside New Order
Personal life
In 1979, Hook was questioned as a suspect in the Yorkshire Ripper case. Joy Division's touring schedule coincided with Peter Sutcliffe's movements which led to the police's suspicion. Following gigs in Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Manchester, Hook was questioned and drummer Stephen Morris was arrested.
He has two children from his first marriage with Iris Bates, son Jack and daughter Heather. In 1994, he married comedian Caroline Aherne but the marriage ended in 1997. He subsequently married Rebecca Jones. He has a daughter with her.
In July 2012, Hook was awarded a Honorary Fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire during the graduation of the university's creative art students.
Hook's daughter Jessica was at the Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017 at the MEN Arena where a suicide bomber killed 22 people. Hook and Jessica were interviewed by BBC Radio 4's Today programme about that event and about security at concerts.
Playing style
Hook has said that he developed his high bass lines when he started playing with Joy Division because the speaker that he used initially (bought from his former art teacher for £10) was so poor he had to play that high to be able to hear what he was doing, as Bernard Sumner's guitar was so loud.
With New Order's ever increasing use of sequenced synthesised bass, especially throughout most of 1989's Technique and 1993's Republic, Hook's bass playing became ever more melodic and rhythmic, often exploiting the higher notes on his basses.
Hook also contributed backing vocals on numerous Joy Division songs in concert and sang co-lead with Ian Curtis on Joy Division's "Interzone." He sings lead on two New Order songs ("Dreams Never End" and "Doubts Even Here" from the 1981 debut album Movement).
Basses
Amplification and effects
The main equipment Hook used during the early days of New Order were an Alembic F-2B preamp/ Roland rack unit/ Amcron DC-300A power amp fed through two large custom built 2 x 15 Gauss loaded flightcase cabinets designed and built by Chris Hewitt of Tractor Music. These can be seen in the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" music video, as can Hook's Yamaha BB1200. The Alembic- Amcron- Gauss system was designed by Peter Hook, Chris Hewitt and Martin Hannett. In the earlier days of Joy Division, Hook used a Sound City L120 head and then a Hiwatt Custom 100 Watt head. The Sound City and Hiwatt heads were both used with a Vox Foundation 1x18 cabinet bought from Hook's former art teacher. The Hiwatt was then used on top of a 4x15 Gauss loaded Marshall cabinet put together by Tractor. The Marshall 4 x 15 Gauss cabinet was stolen during New Order's first visit to America. He has also used an Ampeg SVT rig, and has expressed interest in Ashdown amplification.
For the most part, his distinctive tone comes from the use of a chorus pedal, an Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory.
In New Order from 1990 onwards Hook used Hiwatt 200 watt heads mounted on Hiwatt 1x15 and 4x10 combined speaker cabinets with Fane speakers.
With Revenge and Monaco, he updated an Ampeg SVT, which is used at maximum volume when playing live.
He is currently using an Ampeg SVT-CL with an Ampeg cabinet.
Film portrayals
In Michael Winterbottom's 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, which focused on Factory Records, Hook was played by Ralf Little. In Anton Corbijn's 2007 film Control, which focused on the life of Ian Curtis, he was played by Joe Anderson.