It’s been an interesting year for Peter Hook. After publishing last year’s expose, The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club, the former Joy Division/New Order bassist opened up a new club in Manchester this past February, titled FAC 251 – The Factory, which operates, rather fittingly, in the old offices of Factory Records. Taking a note from late icon and friend Tony Wilson, Hook also put together Hacienda Records UK, which distributes his own personal projects as well as music from new talent.
But his return to roots wouldn’t be truly authentic without some controversy and drama, and that’s just what Hook’s received this year. Musically, it’s been a smorgasbord of ups and downs. While his supergroup Freebass – featuring Andy Rourke (The Smiths), Gary Mounfield (The Stone Roses), and Gary Briggs (Haven) – released a handful of EPs and a forthcoming debut LP, Rourke departed on ill terms and Mounfield published some disparaging remarks about Hook via Twitter. That’s not all. More recently, Hook’s stirred up some controversy by embarking on a world tour, focusing primarily on performing Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures in its entirety alongside his side project, The Light. Let’s just say, Rourke’s not the only one that’s been critical of this.
However, regardless of all the backlash, the English legend remains proud and committed to his projects. When we chatted in early October, he was just finishing up a series of shows around Spain, where he sounded overjoyed at the crowd’s reactions. Tomorrow, he’s kicking off his American tour at Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club, which he’ll follow through to Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, and then onward to the West coast. Some might argue he’s living in the past – what with releasing a new Joy Division EP, as well – but we found out he’s not the only one taking pleasure in this.
