“Whenever anybody says, ‘Can you just follow the root note?’ my immediate retort is, ‘Why don't you just f*** off?’” How Peter Hook re-wrote the rulebook on punk bass – and became “allergic to low notes” in the process

Co-founded by bassist Peter Hook, guitarist Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris, and the brooding, charismatic singer lan Curtis, Joy Division scorched the British punk-rock landscape, planting the seeds of what would later define the mid-1980s' raved-up ‘Madchester’ sound.

“We were very young and full of energy,” Hook told Bass Player back in September 2017. “We just played hard and fast as much as we could.”

In doing so, Hook invented an unheard-of approach to punk-rock bass guitar, making use of the upper registers and repeating melodies that were plucked straight from a rhythm guitarist’s vocabulary, with the discerning ear of a self-taught bassist whose only desire was to rock, and screw the consequences.

“Whenever anybody says, ‘Can you just follow the root note?' my immediate retort is, ‘Why don't you just fuck off?’ I think I'm allergic to playing low bass!

“With Joy Division it was actually lan that picked out the riffs. He'd say, ‘That sounds great – just play that, and Bernard, you play the guitar for that,’ and it was She's Lost Control, you know? And then Inside, 24 Hours, Love Will Tear Us Apart, they all came about that way, which made me go more melodic.”

What backline did Hook use to deliver the high notes? “At the time, I had a Sound City 120 amp that I bought for 60 quid – my mother signed the finance so I could buy it – and it sounded like shit, but I couldn't do anything about it.”

“The only time it sounded decent was when you played high up on the D and the G strings. Ian pushed me to keep doing that, which I can't thank him enough for.”

“I should say the first decent amplifier I got was a Hiwatt, and I bought it because I saw Jean-Jacques Burnell use one with The Stranglers. In the early Stranglers sound, as in Peaches and Five Minutes, his bass sounded amazing.”

Having co-founded Joy Division in 1976, and embraced electro-pop with New Order in the 1980s, Hook went on to found the Light in 2010, bringing the music of Joy Division to new audiences.

But it's been a tall order, considering how the group's two iconic albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer, are forever linked to the haunting voice of lan Curtis, who committed suicide in 1980 just as the band was preparing to embark on its first American tour.

Hook eventually found the confidence to sing the songs himself, and recruited his son, Jack Bates, to augment and anchor the bass parts.

Peter Hook & The Light - 'She's Lost Control' - Live at O2 Apollo, Manchester - 29/7/22. - YouTube

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“It's wonderful to hear what Jack does. I was amazed at how good he is at emulating me which, I suppose, for a son should be quite easy, shouldn't it? He's the nearest thing to me in the bloody world. He's a very good bass player.

“The interesting thing is I really can't sing and play, which is why I asked Jack to be in the band. It amazes me when I watch people like Phil Lynott – the way they can switch their mind and do two completely separate things. It fills me with awe. Sting is another one who's very good at it. But I suppose it's like driving a car and speaking on the phone, isn't it?

“I used to think singing bass players were the kiss of death, and it's just my luck that I would bloody become one.”