THE bassist from two beloved UK bands shared memories of visiting Warrington in his youth ahead of his performance in Parr Hall later this year.

Peter Hook, who is best known as being the bassist in Joy Division and New Order, was first inspired to start his career as a musician when he attended a Sex Pistols concert in 1976.

Soon after, Joy Division was formed, creating smash hit songs including Love Will Tear Us Apart and the band made music together for four years.

After Joy Division split, several members of the band regrouped under the name New Order, which released Blue Monday – the best-selling 12-inch single of all time.

Peter, who played in both bands, was a key member of the groups and developed his own unique style of playing bass.

In 2010, he created a spin off group called Peter Hook and the Light, which has been touring ever since, performing renditions of both bands’ songs.

Peter Hook and the Light formed in 2010Peter Hook and the Light formed in 2010 (Image: Rhona Murphy)

“The only thing that I’ve been guilty of is doing a very honest rendition of how Joy Division and New Order used to sound when people loved them, when I loved them,” he said.

“What we’re doing is primarily celebrating the LPs and how the LPs sounded.”

Peter Hook and the Light are currently on tour and will be performing in Warrington in October.

Just a stones throw from where Peter grew up in Salford, the 68-year-old musician recounts how he used to visit Warrington in his youth.

“It will be interesting playing Warrington without going to Ikea, maybe I should go to Ikea for old times’ sake,” he said.

“I’ve been there a lot over the years, it’s funny it used to be like a day out with the kids when they were younger.

“Warrington, it does feel like home - I once got beat up on the train station going to a club when I was 16 or 17.

“There used to be a club, I think it was called Mr Smiths and we used to get the train, so all the Warrington lads used to wait for us to get off the train and give us a good seeing to - hopefully that won’t be happening again!”

Peter Hook and the Light will be performing at Parr Hall on October 17 at 8pm for one night only.

Despite the number of times he has performed, Peter admits that he can still feel nervous before taking to the stage.

“People are amazed at how nervous I get before a gig, even now after doing it for as long as I have,” he said.

“You want to do your best, you want to show the right amount of respect, you want people to like what you’re doing and get into it.

“So yeah it’s a lot of pressure but you get used to it.”

Peter admits he still feels nervous before performingPeter admits he still feels nervous before performing (Image: Mark McNulty)

Once he hits the stage though, the nerves must melt away, and Peter’s passion for music is clear.

“I work very hard, me and the band are very important in our attention to detail,” he said.

“We play a lot of songs we’ve played for a long time, we relish what we’re doing.

“I’m very happy to be able to still do it and honestly I can’t believe it because in my head I still feel like that kid that walked out of that sex pistols concert.

“My body screams otherwise but in my head, I will always be that kid. It’s such a great accomplishment to be able to do it still.”

With such an impressive career, it’s no surprise that Peter hears from a lot of fans that he has prompted them to pursue music.

“I get a lot of kids coming up to me because of the way I play bass and been inspired to do it and it’s such a wonderful thing to be told,” he said.

“If I can inspire one person the same way the sex pistols inspired me then that makes me very happy.

“There is only one thing that you can say to anybody who wants any kind of career and that is that you have to keep going and you have to keep trying, because as soon as you stop trying it’s over. “

Tickets for Peter Hook and the Light’s performance in Warrington start at £36 each and can be found here.