John Barnes Joins Peter Hook & The Light for 'World In Motion' in Manchester

John Barnes appeared on stage with Peter Hook & The Light at Manchester Academy on June 4 to perform the rap from New Order's 'World In Motion'. The moment came partway through Hook's chronological 35-track performance, which was marking the 50th anniversary of the Sex Pistols' legendary 1976 Lesser Free Trade Hall show.

'World In Motion', released in 1990, became New Order's only Number One single and remains synonymous with England's Italia '90 campaign. Barnes wrote and recorded the rap himself, reportedly in a single take, and it is arguably the most memorable moment in the song's history. This reunion of Barnes with the song on stage was the first time he'd performed it since the original recording.

The setting added another layer of resonance: Hook was himself in the audience at that Sex Pistols show 50 years earlier and famously bought his first bass the next day, subsequently forming Warsaw, which became Joy Division. That gig is widely credited with igniting British punk and launching the Manchester music scene—a full-circle moment for Hook, whose entire career traces back to that night.