MANCHESTER ACADEMY // 4 JUNE 2026
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN MUSIC
WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS BUZZCOCKS
“On the evening of 4th June 1976 my life changed forever. I hope on the evening of 4th June 2026 yours will too ;)” PETER HOOK | 2025
On 4 June 1976 Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto brought the Sex Pistols to Manchester for the first time for a legendary performance at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. The gig attracted a modest crowd of around 40 people but amongst them were a disproportionate number of figures who would become legends of the Manchester music scene: future members of The Smiths and The Fall, Factory Records’ Tony Wilson, punk poet John Cooper Clarke, producer Martin Hannett and, somewhere amongst the crowd, a young Peter Hook with his friend and future Joy Division bandmate Bernard Sumner.
Energised by the ramshackle performance, Peter Hook bought a bass guitar the very next day and went on to play in some the most influential and iconic bands in British history, pioneering the dawn of post punk with Joy Division before moving onto the synth driven soundscapes of New Order. Five decades on, Hooky will celebrate the anniversary of that pivotal night with a show in the city that shaped him.
On 4 June 2026, fifty years to the day since the Sex Pistols changed the Manchester music scene forever, Peter Hook & The Light will perform a retrospective set at the Academy spanning his lengthy career. With songs from Warsaw, Joy Division, New Order, Revenge, Monaco and Freebass, it’s destined to be a night not to missed by fans of his widely influential career.
Peter Hook & The Light will be joined by very special guests Buzzcocks who, since that night fifty years ago, have carved out their own unique place in British music history with songs such as Harmony In My Head, What Do I Get? and Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) and in the process will be celebrating their own 50th anniversary.
The Manchester date in June will be the only PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT headline UK date in 2026.
Pre-sale tickets will be available at 10:00am on WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER here
General sale tickets will be available at 10:00am on FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER here
The announcement follows the recent Get Ready UK tour, which saw Peter Hook & The Light perform the seventh New Order album in its entirety before a second set of seminal tracks from the catalogues of both Joy Division and New Order.
Peter Hook first revisited the seminal Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures back in May 2010 for a commemorative charity concert and has followed it each year by performing subsequent albums from the repertoires of Joy Division and New Order. His dedication to his back catalogue has now seen him move through Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Still, Movement, Power Corruption & Lies, Low Life, Brotherhood, Technique, Republic and Substance to arrive at the Get Ready album this year. Having toured the albums extensively, the band have now amassed approaching 1000 concerts. Among the many highlights since Peter Hook reintroduced his early repertoire to a legion of audiences across the world, both new and old, have been appearances at Benicassim, Primavera Sound, Kendal Calling, Bestival, Victorious and Rebellion, alongside extensive touring in Europe, North and South America, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to great acclaim from both fans and critics alike.
PHOTO CREDIT | JASON MOONEY