Peter Hook has spent the past several years diving headfirst into his past, meticulously performing every Joy Division and New Order song he was a part of. With a new batch of Record Store Day releases covering Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Movement, Power, Corruption & Lies, and Low-Life, the legendary bassist sat down to talk about the strange déjà vu of playing these records, the joy of rediscovering lost songs, and why nostalgia isn’t such a dirty word.
Relearning the Songs—and Reopening Old Memories
Hooky has been performing Joy Division and New Order albums in full with Peter Hook & The Light for years now, but the process never gets easier.
“The prep is just as tough as learning a brand-new song,” he admits. “Even if it’s 30 years old, you’ve still got to find your part, get into the headspace of the recording, and somehow bring it to life.”
The strangest part? Seeing his son play bass—a perfect mirror of himself at the same age when he first wrote these songs.
“My son was the same age when he played Joy Division for the first time as I was back then. It’s completely bizarre,” Hook says. “It’s like I’m standing outside of it, watching it happen all over again.”
“It’s Like Finding a Favorite Toy Again”
Some of these songs, especially from New Order’s early albums, hadn’t been performed live since they were recorded.
“You lose songs when the band refuses to play them,” he says. “Stephen and Barney never wanted to go back to certain ones, so it’s like rediscovering old toys. You finally get to play with them again, and just when you’ve settled in, it’s time to move on to the next album.”
Hook is determined to stick to the plan: play every song, no matter what.
“I tell the band, ‘We’re doing every song, even the weird B-sides, even the ones that never worked live. We have to do them. That’s the point.’”
And there’s a reason for that—he learned it from Ian Curtis.
“Ian always said you should finish every song, because someone will love it,” he remembers. “That’s stuck with me. Even the oddest deep cut, someone will come up after a show and say, ‘That song means the world to me.’”
Transmission: The Song That Changed Everything
Hook credits “Transmission” as the moment Joy Division realized they had something special.
“It was the first song where we knew we could move people,” he says. “Some songs would hit certain people, but ‘Transmission’ hit everyone. That’s a revelation when it happens.”
And its legacy? Still going.
“These songs are still changing people’s lives. That’s rare. Not every band gets that luxury.”
Taking Joy Division to Places It Never Reached
Despite the enduring love for Joy Division, the original band never got to see its global impact.
“Joy Division never made it to America, Australia, or half the places we go now,” he says. “But I take these songs there, and you’ve got 14-year-olds in the audience who weren’t even born when Unknown Pleasures came out, losing their minds. That’s vindication.”
It also makes New Order’s outright hostility toward him playing these songs even stranger.
“They criticize me for playing Joy Division, but then they turn around and do a ‘Forever Joy Division’ segment at their own gigs,” he says. “It’s always been ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ with them.”
Is Nostalgia Really That Bad?
Hook is well aware that revisiting the past so often invites questions about whether it’s holding him back.
“People always ask if I’m writing new material, like it’s a crime to be celebrating this music,” he says. “But look—if you have a favorite painting, you don’t just glance at it once and move on. These songs mean something. People return to them over and over because of how they make them feel.”
And does it even feel like nostalgia when you’re still so passionate about it?
“I get such a kick from performing that I don’t care if people think it’s nostalgia or not,” he says. “Last night in Rome, we had 1,200 people going absolutely mental. That’s not nostalgia. That’s real.”
The Battle Continues—But He Wants a Happy Ending
Hook has written three books covering Joy Division, New Order, and his ongoing legal battles. But he’s already thinking about a fourth.
“I want to write a book with a happy ending,” he says. “Joy Division ended in tragedy. New Order ended in legal fights. I’d love to write a book where things work out.”
The irony? He’s too tied up in a six-year legal fight with New Order over his share of the band’s earnings to focus on writing one.
“My life right now is this ridiculous legal battle,” he says. “But yeah—one day, a book with a happy ending. That’s the goal.”
Until then, Peter Hook will keep doing what he does best: playing the songs that changed music history—because they’re still changing lives.
Listen to the full interview above and then check out the video below.
