Peter Hook
Encyclopedia
Peter Hook is an English bass player
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

 and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

.

He was a co-founder of the post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...

 band Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...

 along with Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....

 in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...

, the band reformed as New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...

, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until his departure in 2007. He has also recorded an album with Revenge
Revenge (band)
Revenge was a band formed by New Order bassist Peter Hook and Lavolta Lakota and Rawhead singer Davyth Hicks on guitar and vocals, and Chris Jones . Revenge formed after New Order's hiatus in 1989-1990 and played their final gigs in January 1993...

 (One True Passion), two albums with Monaco
Monaco (band)
Monaco was a side project of New Order bassist Peter Hook. Together with David Potts, the only remaining member of Revenge, the band was formed in 1995...

 (Music for Pleasure
Music for Pleasure (Monaco album)
Music For Pleasure was the debut album by rock band band Monaco, a side project of New Order bassist Peter Hook. It was released in 1997 and reached No. 11 in the UK. The album sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, with its first single, "What Do You Want from Me?", often mistaken for a New...

and Monaco) and one album with Freebass
Freebass
Freebass were an English band consisting of, originally, three bassists Andy Rourke , Peter Hook and Gary "Mani" Mounfield and singer Gary Briggs...

 (It's A Beautiful Life) as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist.

Early life

Born in Salford, Lancashire, to Irene Acton (1928-2000; since 1962 Irene Hook), and John Woodhead. In 1959, his parents divorced and he and his brothers were brought up by his maternal grandmother Alicia Acton (born Chapman; 1896-1968) until 1962, when his mother re-married Ernest W. Hook. Like his band-mate Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....

 did, he took his step-father's surname, although in contrast of his friend he kept it, even more, he created his nickname, Hooky, from it. Because of his step-father's work, he spent part his childhood in Jamaica before returning to Salford.

Playing style

With New Order's ever increasing use of sequenced
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...

 synthesised bass, especially throughout most of 1989's Technique and 1993's Republic, Hook's bass playing became ever more melodic
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...

 and rhythmic, often exploiting the baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

 guitar range of his basses.

Hook also contributed backing vocals on numerous Joy Division songs in concert and sang co-lead with Ian Curtis on live versions of Joy Division's "Interzone" and sings lead on two New Order songs ("Dreams Never End" and "Doubts Even Here" from the 1981 debut album Movement).

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
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....

's guitar was so loud.

Equipment

Basses

  • Gibson
    Gibson Guitar Corporation
    The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...

     EB-0 copy – Hook's first bass, bought at Mazel's Music Shop in Manchester in 1976 and used live with Warsaw 1977 (there are photos of him playing it at a 1977 gig at Rafters
    Rafters (nightclub)
    Rafters was a nightclub located in the St James Building in the centre of Manchester, UK. A number of bands played concerts at Rafters in the 1970s and 1980sRob Gretton who went on to become the manager of Joy Division worked at Rafters...

    , Manchester) and on the 18 July 1977 Warsaw demos.
  • Hondo
    Hondo (guitar company)
    Hondo was an American guitar company and brand owned by Musicorp that produced entry level acoustic guitars, electric guitars and basses with designs that are usually based on the designs of more expensive models such as the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul. These models are of good...

     Rickenbacker 4001 bass copy – Used on Joy Division's 1978–1980 recordings and used live with Joy Division 1978–1980.In an interview in Bass Guitar magazine, he revealed that was given away to a child for a charity sale "He [the child] didn't even use my name! He just thought it was a bass guitar like any other. Nowadays that'd be worth what, nine or ten grand?"
  • Yamaha
    Yamaha
    Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...

     BB1200 – Basically a neck-through, active version of a Fender Precision Bass
    Fender Precision Bass
    The Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...

     with the pick-up installed in a reverse configuration to a Fender P bass. Used on Joy Division's Closer LP and every New Order album.
  • Shergold Marathon
    Shergold Marathon
    The Shergold Marathon was a range of guitars and basses produced by the Shergold Woodcrafts Ltd. company. These models were produced in 4,6 and 8 string models.-The Marathon bass:The Marathon bass had three main scale lengths...

     six-string bass – Has a 30" scale putting it between normal bass (34") and guitar (around 25").
  • Eccleshall
    Chris Eccleshall
    Christopher J. Eccleshall is an English luthier, guitar designer, guitar dealer and authorised repairer of Martin, Gibson and Guild guitars, and also received the blessing of Mario Maccaferri to make reproductions of his Selmer-Maccaferri jazz guitars.His main business is making custom-built...

     bass – Based on a Gibson EB2 bass, main live bass. He wanted a hollow body with Yamaha electronics, so Chris Eccleshall took the active electronics from a BB1200 and built a full-scale neck-through bass with 24 frets. Subsequent versions of the bass have been produced using custom circuitry designed by a Japanese student visiting Chris Eccleshall, a custom circuit was needed as Yamaha stopped producing the BB1200 preamp. He is currently awaiting a fourth incarnation of the Eccleshall bass. All are designed to be as identical as possible.
  • In 2010 it was announced 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.They will be given HAC numbers HAC51 to 56 and Peter Hook will be playing guitar HAC51.

Amplification and effects

The main equipment Hook used during the early days of New Order was an Alembic
Alembic Inc
Alembic was founded in 1969 and is a manufacturer of high-end electric basses, guitars and preamps.-History:Ron and Susan Wickersham founded Alembic, Inc. in 1969...

 F-2B preamp/ Roland rack unit/Crown-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
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...

. In the earlier days of Joy Division, Hook used a Hiwatt
Hiwatt
Hiwatt was a British company that manufactured amplifiers for electric guitars and electric basses. Starting in the late 1960s, together with Marshall and Vox, the company contributed to the sonic image popularly termed "British sound"....

 Custom 100 Watt head initially on top of a Vox Bass Cabinet and then later on top of a 4x15 Gauss loaded Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...

 cabinet put together by Tractor
Tractor (band)
Tractor is a band founded in Rochdale, Lancashire, England by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton in 1971. Both had been members of a beat group, The Way We Live since 1966. They are notable both for their appreciation by John Peel and Julian Cope, but also for their longevity...

. The Marshall 4 x 15 Gauss cabinet was stolen during New Order's first visit to America. He has also used an Ampeg
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...

 SVT rig, and has expressed interest in Ashdown
Ashdown Engineering
Ashdown Engineering is a British manufacturer of instrument amplifiers, particularly for bass, but also developed a range of guitar amps for a number of years...

 amplification.

For the most part, his distinctive tone comes from the use of a chorus
Chorus effect
In music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one...

 pedal, an Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....

 Clone Theory. This has recently been reissued by Electro-Harmonix, and whilst having the same circuitry as the original has a somewhat different tone than the original 1970s ones (described by many reviewers/players as "less exciting").

With Revenge
Revenge (band)
Revenge was a band formed by New Order bassist Peter Hook and Lavolta Lakota and Rawhead singer Davyth Hicks on guitar and vocals, and Chris Jones . Revenge formed after New Order's hiatus in 1989-1990 and played their final gigs in January 1993...

 and Monaco
Monaco (band)
Monaco was a side project of New Order bassist Peter Hook. Together with David Potts, the only remaining member of Revenge, the band was formed in 1995...

, he updated an Ampeg
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...

 SVT, which is used at maximum volume when playing live.

In New Order from 1990 onwards Hook used Hiwatt
Hiwatt
Hiwatt was a British company that manufactured amplifiers for electric guitars and electric basses. Starting in the late 1960s, together with Marshall and Vox, the company contributed to the sonic image popularly termed "British sound"....

 200 watt heads mounted on Hiwatt 1x15 and 4x10 combined speaker cabinets with Fane
Fane
Fane may refer to:* Fane, Papua New Guinea, village associated with Simona Noorenbergh* Fane * Fane River in Ireland...

 speakers.

He is currently using Trace Elliot amplification.

Other work

In 1984, Hook recorded the single "Telstar" with the band Ad Infinitum
Ad Infinitum (band)
Ad Infinitum were a musical group which were part of the Factory Records label. They were formed by Lindsay Reade, who was married to manager Tony Wilson at the time. They were composed of members of the Stockholm Monsters and New Order bassist Peter Hook....

, which was composed of him and members of the Stockholm Monsters
Stockholm Monsters
Stockholm Monsters were a Post-punk band from Manchester who recorded for Factory Records between 1981 and 1987.-History:The band formed in Manchester in 1980 with a line-up of Tony France , Karl France , Lita Hira , and Shan Hira...

.

In the late 1980s, Hook also worked as a producer for bands such as Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...

 and The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...

. In 2003 he contributed bass to a number of tracks on Hybrid's
Hybrid (producers)
Hybrid are a British electronic music group based in Swansea, comprising Mike Truman and Chris Healings, with the addition of Charlotte James completing their 2010 lineup. They are primarily known as a progressive breaks act, although they overlap considerably with progressive house and trance...

 album Morning Sci-Fi, including the single "True to Form". Hook also co-owned the Suite Sixteen recording studio formerly Cargo Studios
Cargo Studios
Cargo Studios was a recording studio located in the Kenion Street Music Building, off Drake Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the first floor above Tractor Music's Pro Audio shop...

 which Hook purchased with Chris Hewitt in 1984. Cargo and Suite Sixteen in Kenion St Rochdale were major studios in the history of punk and post punk music. A blue plaque was unveiled on the Kenion St 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.

New Order have broken up more than once, and Hook has been involved with other projects. In 1995 he toured with The Durutti Column
The Durutti Column
The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England. The band is an ongoing project of guitarist Vini Reilly who is often accompanied by drummer Bruce Mitchell. Other current members are Keir Stewart and Reilly's girlfriend Poppy Morgan...

. He has recorded one album with the band Revenge
Revenge (band)
Revenge was a band formed by New Order bassist Peter Hook and Lavolta Lakota and Rawhead singer Davyth Hicks on guitar and vocals, and Chris Jones . Revenge formed after New Order's hiatus in 1989-1990 and played their final gigs in January 1993...

 and two with Monaco
Monaco (band)
Monaco was a side project of New Order bassist Peter Hook. Together with David Potts, the only remaining member of Revenge, the band was formed in 1995...

 (both as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist) with David Potts
David Potts
David Potts , known to bandmates and fans as "Pottsy", is the ex-frontman of Monaco.-Career:...

, the latter of which scored a club and alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 radio hit "What Do You Want From Me?" in 1997. 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. On 4 May 2007, Hook announced on Xfm
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...

 that he and New Order singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....

 were no longer working together, effectively spelling the end for the band; the band later denied disbanding. He is currently working on a new band project called Freebass
Freebass
Freebass were an English band consisting of, originally, three bassists Andy Rourke , Peter Hook and Gary "Mani" Mounfield and singer Gary Briggs...

 with bass players Mani
Gary Mounfield
Gary Manny "Mani" Mounfield , is an English rock bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. He has a distinctive playing style that combines a fast moving rock style with a dance rhythm or dub groove...

 (The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...

) and Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke is a bass guitarist best known for being a former member of The Smiths.-Career:...

 (ex-The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...

).

He also contributed to Perry Farrell's
Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

 Satellite Party. His bass can be heard on "Wish Upon a Dogstar" and "Kinky". Inspired by Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...

, he started with the Return To New York nights in London. He contributed a distinctive bassline to Hybrid
Hybrid (producers)
Hybrid are a British electronic music group based in Swansea, comprising Mike Truman and Chris Healings, with the addition of Charlotte James completing their 2010 lineup. They are primarily known as a progressive breaks act, although they overlap considerably with progressive house and trance...

'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
Section 25
Section 25 is an English post-punk band, best known for its single "Looking from a Hilltop" and its association with the Manchester record-label, Factory Records.-Early recordings 1977 - 1982 :...

. Hook is featured on "Dirty Thirty" and "Blunts & Robots", two tracks off of The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television...

's 2009 album Divided by Night
Divided by Night
Divided by Night is electronic duo The Crystal Method's fourth studio album. The album was released on May 12, 2009. The first single, "Drown in the Now", which features vocals by Matisyahu, was released to the iTunes store on April 14, 2009, and the second single, "Black Rainbows" was released to...

. 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.

Ironically, 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
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...

' death, The Light performed a set of Joy Division songs including every number off Unknown Pleasures
Unknown Pleasures
Unknown Pleasures is the debut album by the English post-punk band Joy Division, released in 1979 through Factory Records. Martin Hannett produced the record at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, England. The album sold poorly upon release, but due to the subsequent success of Joy Division with the...

.

In 2010, Hook also recorded and released two EPs on American indie record label 24 Hour Service Station
24 Hour Service Station
24 Hour Service Station is an independent record label founded by in Tampa, Florida in 1993.24 Hour Service Station's first signing in 1994 was Rosewater Elizabeth, an up and coming ethereal group in the Tampa Bay area music scene...

 as Man Ray with production partner and Freebass
Freebass
Freebass were an English band consisting of, originally, three bassists Andy Rourke , Peter Hook and Gary "Mani" Mounfield and singer Gary Briggs...

 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.

Personal life

Hook was born in Salford. He was in a relationship first with Iris Bates, with whom he has two children, daughter Heather (born in 1985) and son Jack (born in 1989). In 1994, he married comedian Caroline Aherne
Caroline Aherne
Caroline Mary Aherne is an English comedian and BAFTA winning writer and actress, best known for Mrs Merton and The Royle Family.- Background :...

, a marriage that became polemic. He then went on to marry a former air hostess called Becky Jones and had a child with her called Jessica (born in 1998).

Film portrayals

In Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...

's 2002 film 24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom...

, which focused on Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...

, Hook was played by Ralf Little
Ralf Little
Ralf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...

. In Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...

's 2007 film Control, which focused on the life of Ian Curtis, he was played by Joe Anderson.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK