Hook saw the historic 1976 Lesser Free Trade Hall show and bought his first bass guitar the very next day
By Max Pilley 2nd December 2025
Peter Hook at Miami Beach Bandshell on June 14, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Manny Hernandez/Getty Images)
Peter Hook will mark the 50th anniversary of the Sex Pistols’ legendary Manchester gig with a one-off headline show in June 2026.
- READ MORE: Peter Hook on why New Order aren’t in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and playing ’Get Ready’ in full
Hook was in attendance at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in his home city on 4 June 1976 for the first of two iconic Pistols shows, and he legendarily went out the following day and bought his first bass and formed Warsaw, the band that went on to be known as Joy Division.
AdvertisementNow, Hook has announced that he will play a show on the exact 50th anniversary of that night. On 4 June 2026, his band Peter Hook & The Light will play at the Manchester Academy, with a set that will draw on music from across his five-decade career, including Joy Division, New Order, Revenge, Monaco and Freebass.
It will be Hook’s only full headline UK show of 2026 and he will be joined by Buzzcocks, whose Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto organised the Lesser Free Trade Hall shows in 1976.
Hook has also promised “a couple more surprises along the way”, and tickets for the show go on pre-sale at 10am tomorrow (December 3), with a general sale starting at the same time on Friday. Get your tickets here.
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The Sex Pistols gigs, which were put together by Shelley and Devoto after they saw Johnny Rotten and co play in London, are credited with being pivotal in the development of British punk history.
RecommendedThey are also seen as kickstarting the Manchester music scene, with other figures in attendance at the Lesser Free Trade Hall on June 4 including Hook’s future bandmate Bernard Sumner, as well as Morrissey, Mark E. Smith, Tony Wilson and John Cooper Clarke.
Others who have claimed over the years to have been there include Johnny Marr, Mick Hucknall and Joy Division producer Martin Hannett, although many believe that given the tight size of the venue, it is unlikely that everybody who has claimed to be there truly was.
Hook recently spoke to NME about the legacy of Joy Division/New Order and why he believes they are yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “It’s voted for by the music-liking people of whoever ties into this. The problem, shall we say, is the relationship between the two halves,” he said, referring to the animosity between himself and Sumner.
AdvertisementHooky continued: “You’re in a weird situation here, because the camps don’t have any communication and actively don’t like each other. When it comes to working on these things, you have to let your fans know that they can vote you in. That’s how it’s done – it’s not given to you. You have to be nominated and voted for.
“If you check our campaign last time and compare it to the campaign this time, you can see there’s been – shall we say – a lack of enthusiasm on one side for the whole thing. Obviously they’re making enough money pretending to be New Order so they don’t have to worry about it. So that’s cool, isn’t it?”
The Manchester show is not the only 50th anniversary concert that Hook will be involved in next year – his band will also be supporting The Damned on their 50th anniversary show at the OVO Arena Wembley on April 11.
Hook also shared a heartfelt tribute to Stone Roses bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield last month, after he passed away aged 63. “From a bass-playing point of view,” he said,” he was the best.”
