The punk record “where it all started” for Peter Hook
As the originator of iconic basslines with Joy Division and then New Order, Peter Hook spawned the next generation of post-punk bassists. His riffs form the backbone for so many instantly recognisable tracks for both legendary Manchester groups, who acted as inspiration for countless later artists. Soundgarden, Interpol, and even The Cure took inspiration from Hooky’s work, but where did it all begin for the Salford-born lad?
Readers of Hook’s 2012 memoir, Unknown Pleasures, covering his early life and the formation of Joy Division, will know that the future bassist was once a disciple of Santana. In his early days, a young Hook had covered his Lambretta scooter in stickers as an homage to the American rock band and their 1970 album Abraxas. Speaking back in 2016, Hooky revealed that he still has an appreciation for the band, “Santana, and that album in particular, reminds me of being 16-17 and just discovering life. I still have a great love for it, a great fondness.”
There are many other artists that planted the seeds of musicality in the mind of a young Peter Hook, The Velvet Underground, Deep Purple and David Bowie, to name but a few. His musical taste has always been fairly eclectic, perhaps resulting in the unique sound that he has become known for. However, the catalyst for the formation of Joy Division was punk rock.
With an ethos of burning down the musical establishment and starting fresh, the punk and new wave scene that arrived in 1976 changed everything. Although The Damned’s ‘New Rose’ is most often classed as the UK’s first punk release, it was the infamous Sex Pistols album Nevermind the Bollocks that inspired Hooky.
The album was “Where it all started for [Hook]”, he once explained, adding that “It will always hold a very very big place in my heart and in my ears”. The Sex Pistols are often critiqued among punk purists for their manufactured origins, with manager Malcolm McClaren recruiting members based on their looks, not dissimilar to how boybands were later put together by the likes of Simon Cowell. Nevertheless, the band had an undeniable impact on the early punk scene, inspiring a plethora of young punks to go out and form bands.
In 1976, the Sex Pistols travelled north for a gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. Organised by Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto or Buzzcocks, the show has since become the stuff of legends. Within the audience of around 40 people were Mark E. Smith, Morrissey, Tony Wilson, Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook. The Pistols gig is, therefore, often credited with inspiring the formation of The Fall, The Smiths, Factory Records and Joy Division. For the most part, it is hard to argue against that.
The day following the Pistols’ visit to the Lesser Free Trade Hall, Hook went out and bought his first guitar with the plan of forming a group of his own. Soon enough, Stiff Kittens had formed, later to change their name to Warsaw before finally settling on Joy Division. The rest, as they say, is history; Joy Division became one of the most influential bands of the 20th century, known for their stunningly original sound orchestrated by producer Martin Hannett, and Hooky became famous for his driving, moody basslines. Nevermind the Bollocks certainly has a lot to answer for.
