Peter Hook gives verdict on Oasis reunion - but says there's no chance that he'll rejoin New Order

Peter 'Hooky' Hook said he is happy that Noel and Liam Gallagher will be touring together, but said he wouldn't consider a New Order reunion after they-reformed in 2011 without him

As a founding member of both New Order and Joy Division, rock star Peter “Hooky” Hook knows a thing or two about being in a big Manchester band that is bedevilled by bust-ups.

The straight-talking bass player is the perfect person to give an opinion about the Oasis reunion happening next year. He says the main reason he is happy that Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher have buried the hatchet is that it will be a huge relief for their mum Peggy.

As for the chances of him rejoining New Order after they re-formed in 2011 without him, Hooky would rather meet his maker than make peace... Asked if he would consider a reunion, 68-year-old Hooky says: “What they did to me in 2011 to take the brand name and the way they’ve treated me since, there is absolutely no chance, mate. I literally would rather die.

“And I know the Eagles said that as well, but I would rather die. I’ll never work with them tw*ts. Never. It is disgusting what they’ve done. To me, the very fact they try and pass themselves off as New Order, I think is wrong.

“I don’t think they sound like New Order, which I’m happy about in one way, because it gives me the opportunity to sound exactly like the way New Order did. So whether they think they’re taking it to another dimension or whatever, I’m afraid it does nothing for me, so maybe I am happier and better out of it.

“This feud breaks my heart every day. The only respite I get from it, I suppose, is playing the songs how they should sound to the people that should be hearing them, because when I look at how they act, they act very much the same as they did when I was there, when we were together.

“But we did split, and yeah, it was because of attitudes to the music and to the business and the way we presented ourselves and the way we acted.” He has his own band – Peter Hook & the Light – performing songs from his youth in Joy Division and New Order.

Singer Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris – both from Hooky’s former bands – continue to tour as New Order. After many arguments, the band split in 1993, got back together in 1998, broke up again in 2007 and re-formed in 2011 without Hooky. It led to royalty disputes and a lawsuit. Despite settling their financial differences in 2017, it is fair to say there is no love lost between them, or perhaps a love of money has torn them apart for good.

On the road again this week, Hooky remains down to earth about being involved in iconic musical moments down the years including songs such as Love Will Tear Us Apart, Ceremony, and Blue Monday. And on the Oasis reunion, he says: “It’s really weird, innit? Oasis actually played their first gig ever supporting me in Revenge, the band that I had after New Order split [in 1993]. So I remember that gig quite clearly.

“They were the Rain band before it, and then they changed the name to Oasis when Noel joined. I always have a strange feeling when bands reunite. I watched Mani and the Stone Roses do it, now I have to watch the Gallaghers do it. I’ve got tickets for [a reunion tour show at] Heaton Park for nothing.

“I’ve seen Oasis over the years and I’m a fan of the music, but the reunion doesn’t particularly bother me. The thing that sprang to my mind is that at least Christmas in the Gallagher household this year for their mother will be a lot more enjoyable, because any kind of feud – and believe me, I’m still going through a mad feud with the others – is awful, and it does impinge on you in many, many ways.

“And it affects a lot of people. And I think the thing is I’m looking forward to Peggy Gallagher’s Christmas. I think that to me, is much more important than bloody Oasis playing.” He concedes that while watching them at Heaton Park in Manchester will be just another decent gig for him, for younger members of the audience it could have a profound effect.

Hooky was with Bernard Sumner at the Sex Pistols concert in 1976 at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, also attended by Morrissey, who went on to co-found the Smiths, and Mark E. Smith, who soon formed the
Fall. The gig was also the catalyst for Joy Division – also featuring singer Ian Curtis – coming into being. Bassist and singer Hooky adds: “I’ll never forget watching the Sex Pistols.

“[Broadcaster and record label boss] Tony Wilson put them on TV and introduced them. I have never seen a moment or felt a moment in music in my life as I felt watching the Sex Pistols play Anarchy [in the U.K] in that TV studio with [Sex Pistols sidekick] Jordan throwing the chair at him and with the Nazi regalia and all that lot.

“My God, I had to physically stop my father putting his foot through the TV because he was that disgusted. But as a 20-year-old kid who didn’t know what the f*** was going on and what the f*** was going to go on in the next week, I needed that. It was like a wonderful revelation against everything else in the world.

“That’s what Oasis are going to catch – they’re going to catch it again. They’ve got those kids who don’t know what they want in the world, and the world is even worse now. This is an awful phase we’re all going through, so they need it more than ever.

“That release, it’s like when we play... what we’re doing and what the audience are doing is we’re finding somewhere that’s like an oasis. We’re finding something that we can understand and we can enjoy that isn’t affected by these outside things. Just a few moments of respite.

“So I’m happy for them, very happy. I’ll be interested in how long it lasts. Knowing when New Order got back together again... bloody hell, our honeymoon period didn’t last long, to say the bloody least. I mean, you still got on with the gigs and to pretend you liked each other, I suppose. But it wasn’t easy.”

Now the Gallaghers have patched things up, which many fans thought was impossible, it must have made some think Hooky could reunite with New Order, whose members include keyboard player Gillian Gilbert. But Hooky says: “Maybe if Oasis can pull it off together, maybe Stephen and Bernard will be sitting there thinking [high pitched comic voice], ‘Oh, I wonder if we could do it?’. And I could tell both of them to f*** off.”

Peter Hook & the Light began the UK and Ireland leg of their world tour last night. Visit peterhookandthelight.live for tour dates and tickets.