Less than a month after dropping its debut EP, Peter Hook’s triple-bass supergroup Freebass — which also features The Smiths’ Andy Rourke and Gary “Mani” Mounfield of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream — today released its five-years-in-the-making album, It’s a Beautiful Life.
The 10-track record — which finds Haven singer Gary Briggs and Monaco drummer Paul Kehoe rounding out the group — is available for purchase as a digital download from Hook’s recently launched Hacienda Records. There’s no mention on the Hacienda site or Freebass’ own page as to whether a CD release is forthcoming.
While early reports had Hooky and Co. recording with a series of vocalists, including Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher and The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, the band enlisted Briggs as permanent vocalist for the album — although a few of those tracks, with vocals by The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess and ex-Wah! singer Pete Wylie, appeared on the Freebass debut EP, Two Worlds Collide.
Freebass now is poised to make its live debut with three U.K. club shows in late May and early June, followed by an appearance at the Middlesbrough Music Live Festival (see dates below). A post on the band’s site about the gigs notes, “There may well be some special guests as well but don’t expect endless covers of New Order or Joy Division songs all night — this is a band committed to performing new tracks and writing new songs.”
See ‘It’s a Beautiful Life’ tracklist and Freebass tour dates after the jump…
Tracklist: Freebass, It’s a Beautiful Life
1. “Not Too Late”
2. “The Only Ones Alone”
3. “Lady Violence”
4. “World Won’t Wait”
5. “Kill Switch pt. 141”
6. “Stalingrad”
7. “Secrets and Lies”
8. “She Said”
9. “The God Machine”
10. “Plan B”
Freebass tour dates:
May 31: The Duchess, York, UK
June 1: The 100 Club, London, UK
June 2: FAC251 The Factory, Manchester, UK
June 6: Middlesbrough Music Live Festival, Middlesbrough, UK
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Peter Hook’s Freebass releases ‘Two Worlds Collide’ EP, sets live debut
- Peter Hook plans Joy Division set at FAC251, spoken-word tour
- Peter Hook debuts unfinished Joy Division song, New Order outtake at FAC251
- Milestones: New Order’s ‘Technique’ released 21 years ago today
- ‘Ceremony: A New Order Tribute’ proceeds to benefit Tony Wilson charity
- The Other Two reissuing ‘The Other Two & You,’ ‘Super Highways’
- Peter Hook’s Freebass finishes first album, preps debut EP ‘Two Worlds Collide’
- New Order’s botched CD reissues finally to be re-reissued by Rhino Records
It is sad that New Order broke up, they are one of the greatest band to come out of England. Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook are musical LEGENDS. So last year Bernard Sumner came out with his band called Bad Lieutenant and their cd “Never Cry Another Tear” was a really good cd with great melodies, catchy songs and New Order moments woven into the album, and then Peter Hook comes out of nowhere with his band called FreeBass and their album is called “It’s a Beautiful Life”, this is also a great cd with Peter Hook’s classic bass in it, the songs are catchy with great melodies in it, it has great New Order type of music woven in to it also, this album surprised the hell out of me, Very good. As a die hard New Order fan I thought that I will never hear music from them again but now we get two albums from them, also if you like this please check out Peter Hook’s previous band called Monaco and their album ” Music For pleasure” is also a very good album. It is sad that New Order broke up, I hope that they get back together and I am still waiting for the Leftover’s from the WFTSC sessions, till then I will have to do with their side project which is also a very good thing.
I like New Order. I like Bad Lieutenant. I’m a big fan of Peter Hook. I even liked the first EP of Freebass. But I have to say that this LP of Freebass is the worst record I’ve listened for a very long time. The voice of Gary Briggs is just not acceptable.
I am a Spanish fan of N.O. and I like his spirit remains in works like Bad Lieutenant and Freebass