Joy Division icon says New Order 'just tour the hits'
Andrew Trendell

13:35 3rd March 2014

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Former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook has slammed frontman Bernard Sumner as a 'twatto' for 'stealing' the band for him and being 'lazy'. 

Hooky famously left New Order in 2007 on fairly acrimonious terms. 

The iconic bassist was speaking to Gigwise backstage at this weekend's BBC 6 Music Festival, where Hooky opened up about his decision to tour his back catalogue as albums in their entirety with new band, The Light - slamming Sumner for 'lazily' touring the same greatest hits. 

"We did start in smaller venues you know, we didn't grow into big ones overnight," said Hooky. "It's a weird one, because the first gig we did with Joy Division, there was nobody there - just one guy sweeping the floor. Then when you look at doing something Glastonbury where it's 125,000 people, what you have to say to yourself is that as long as it's somewhere in the middle, it doesn't matter."

He continued: "I do think this is what spurred Bernard into getting New Order back -  is that he toured with Bad Lieutenant and couldn't stand the shitholes. I will bet you a pound to a thousand that that's what it was. He must have been sat there, thinking 'I can't be doing with this - I'm stealing New Order off that bastard!'"

"It's really nice to be able to do what I'm doing without having to compromise with another musician. Now twatto has gone back to New Order and their greatest hits, so he must be having to compromise."

When asked about his latter days touring the greatest hits with New Order, Hooky added: "At the time, I should have put my foot down. I'd rather have done 'The Birdy Song'."

- Check back soon for our full interview with Peter Hook

 Watch Peter Hook and The Light performing 'Atmosphere' by Joy Division below

Peter Hook And The Light's upcoming UK tour dates are as follows:
March 2014
Friday 21st The Nines, Barrow The Light - Unknown Pleasures / Closer
Saturday 22nd Fruit, Hull The Light - Unknown Pleasures / Closer
Sunday 23rd The Globe, Cardiff The Light - Unknown Pleasures / Closer

May 2014
Friday 23rd Bearded Theory Festival , Derbyshire The Light - Joy Division / New Order Set Saturday 24th Vegfest , Bristol The Light - JD / NO Highlights Set
July 2014 Thursday 3rd Rescue Rooms, Nottingham The Light - Movement / Power, Corruption and Lies
Friday 4th The Picturedrome, Holmfirth The Light - Movement/Power, Corruption and Lies
Saturday 5th Fibbers, York The Light - Movement / Power, Corruption & Lies
Thursday 31st Camp Bestival, East Dorset The Light - Set TBA

August 2014
Sunday 17th Alt Fest, Kettering The Light - Unknown Pleasures

September 2014
Thursday 25th The Ritz, Manchester The Light - Low Life & Brotherhood
Saturday 27th Shepherd's Bush Empire, London The Light - Low Life & Brotherhood

Below: Peter Hook, Chris Wolstenholme and the coolest bassists on the planet

  • Isaiah Radke (Radkey): These guys are bringing punk kicking and screaming into 2014 with Isaiah bringing some serious energy to the stage and the music.

  • Jesse F. Keeler (Death From Above 1975): Being in a brutal band with only two members takes some serious balls and some serious ability. Luckily, Keeler has both.

  • Ross Macdonald (The 1975): We don't usually see a lot of Macdonald as he usually chooses to remain out of the limelight, however listening to the bass on 'The City' for example it's clear how essential he is to the band's sound.

  • Mike Kerr (Royal Blood): There wasn't a whole lot of rock in the BBC Sound of 2014 longlist, but the little bit there was came courtesy of this fierce duo - with Mike Kerr's fierce and furious basslines terrifying enough to make Sam Smith wet himself.

  • Melissa Auf Der Maur (Smashing Pumpkins/Hole): Part of two of grunge's most seminal bands before they went tits up, Melissa is hugely iconic, bringing huge amounts of attitude and presence to the tracks she played on.

  • Ed Nash (Bombay Bicycle Club): If you listen to So Long See You Tomorrow, the tracks have some of the most well written bass lines in recent memory, helping to fuse together the dance and indie elements that have made it such a success.

  • Chris Baio (Vampire Weekend): Shut up and dance.

  • Scott Devendorf (The National): Underlying the rich textures of The National's sound is this guy - a criminally underrated bassist with a pretty pummelling and driving sound.

  • Olugbenga Adelekan (Metronomy): Just look at him. Then listen to him. Undeniable cool.

  • Walter Gervers (Foals): From blistering rock, to Afrobeat madness, Gervers is the pulse behind Foals' inimitable sound - the foundation of why they'll be headlining festivals in years to come.

  • Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters): With three guitarists and a pretty insane drummer, it must be pretty hard to hold the sound of one of the biggest bands on planet together - but our Nate does with grace.

  • James Johnston (Biffy Clyro): Like Death From Above 1979, Biffy have a huge sound with few members, meaning they have to work twice as hard. James is largely responsible for the beefing up of the tracks, a facet which Biffy would be lost with out.

  • Oliver Sim (The XX): In numerous interviews the band have said that they aren't very good at playing their instruments, which is total rubbish. Instead they play in an unconventional fashion, often with tracks shaped around Sim's mesmeric bass sounds. Plus he looks awesome.

  • Tim Kinsgbury (Arcade Fire): You can't have an insanely dance-y new sound without an insanely good bassist y'know.

  • Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine): With tracks like 'Wake Up' and 'Bulls On Parade' Rage have some face melting riffs, usually held together by Commerford while Tom Morello unleashes the madness on the effects pedals.

  • Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age): Stepping into Nick Oliveri's shoes is no mean feat. Shuman however has surpassed himself and all expectations by helping the band release their best materials in years.

  • Este Haim (Haim): Bloody hilarious and queen of the bass face.

  • Nick 'O Malley (Arctic Monkeys): Alex Turner and his quiff get all of the attention, but beneath the riffs and the Elvis moves is this guy - one half of the Monkeys' insanely brilliant rhythm section.

  • Chris Wolstenholme (Muse): The calm, quiet and modest ying to Matt Bellamy's bat-shit mental yang, Wolstenholme is also one of the most technically gifted bass-slingers on Earth (and in outer space). 'Hysteria' is proof enough.

  • Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order): Not only did he pioneer the 'low-hung' bass look, but the bass line from 'Blue Monday' is one of the meanest and most iconic in music history.

  • Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers): The high-flying, scissor-kicking, rhetoric-spitting, cross-dressing, Zeitgeist-killing Manics hero is one of the most fearless figures in rock. Not only is he never afraid to speak his mind and one of the finest lyricists of the last 30 years, but he's probably the coolest man in rock with a politics degree.

  • Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth): Gordon really is a huge inspiration to bassists everywhere, taking what is usually the less public role in the band and turning it into a tornado of punk rock and killer riffs.

  • Mani - The Stone Roses: Today is Mani's birthday, The Stone Roses bassist that we'll soon be seeing hit the stage after the band announced a huge reunion next year. He's also never been one to shy away from a little controversy. For instance, "America doesn't deserve us, they're all wankers. Charming!

  • Jenny Lee Lindberg - Warpaint: Every single member of Warpaint is effortlessly cool, but Jenny Lee might just be the iciest of them all. We can't wait to hear her solo debut Right On! and catch her at the tiny Corsica studios in London next month.

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

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Photo: WENN