Monaco are an English rock band, originally formed in 1995 as a side project of
New Order bassist
Peter Hook, together with David Potts, the only remaining member of Hook's previous New Order side project,
Revenge
Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
. The group is best known for the 1997 single "
What Do You Want from Me?" and the album from which it was taken, ''
Music for Pleasure'', which sold over half a million copies. Hook, Potts and Kehoe currently perform together in
Peter Hook and the Light.
In July 2019, Hook announced that the band were to return, performing a new Monaco track, "Higher, Higher, Higher Love" during Peter Hook and the Light's 'Joy Division Orchestrated' show at London's
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
.
Debut album
Potts initially met Hook while working as a tape operator in his studio. He was later recruited to play guitar on Revenge's EP, ''Gun World Porn'' in 1992. After the breakup of Revenge, Hook and Potts reunited to form a more dance-oriented alternative group. Their first album, ''
Music for Pleasure'', was released in 1997. Some critics remarked on the similarities to
New Order's sound, owing to Hook's recognisable bass style and the resemblance between Potts' vocal style and
Bernard Sumner's. Three singles were released from the album: "
What Do You Want from Me?", "Sweet Lips", and "Shine (Someone Who Needs Me)".
Second album
In 1999,
Polydor Records
Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
rejected Monaco's
eponymous second album, due to changing trends in music..
Papillon Records agreed to release the album, though the planned single release of "I've Got a Feeling" was recalled in the UK due to sample clearance issues. "See-Saw" was later released as a limited run 12" single. Despite favorable reviews, the album was released with little to no promotion, and has become a collectible item.
Break-up, live reunions and The Light
In 2000, tensions mounted in the studio, partly due to Potts' dissatisfaction with the band's failure to depart from a New Order-like sound, and partly due to Potts' workload. Following what Potts called "a disastrous gig" at the Eclipse festival, Hook and Potts had a major argument. They both took a break, and after letting things cool down, they met and decided it was best to split up Monaco. Potts eventually went on to form RAM and released a solo album, ''Coming Up for Air''.
Meanwhile Hook reunited with New Order, playing with them until 2007, and formed
Freebass in 2007.
After the success of the
Revenge
Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
reissues in 2005, Hook announced that he and Potts were working on similar Monaco reissues for release some time in 2007: however, the reissues were not released.
In March 2007, Hook and Potts performed Monaco songs together at the
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...
in Manchester under the name "Hooky & Pottsy".
Original Monaco drummer Paul Kehoe also played along with Hook's son Jack. In October 2007, the same line up performed again as Monaco at the Ritz in Manchester which raised money for Oxfam.
In July 2013, it was announced that David Potts would be the new guitarist for
the Light, Hook's new band, formed in 2009.
At a book signing in Bath, promoting Hook's New Order biography ''Substance'', Hook revealed that he and Potts intended to reunite as Monaco in January 2017. However, at a similar event in 2017, Hook revealed the reunion was currently shelved, with Potts devoting time to his new baby.
2019 return
At the 'Joy Division Orchestrated' show at the Royal Albert Hall on July 6, 2019, Hook announced the return of Monaco, debuting their first new song in twenty years, "Higher, Higher, Higher Love".
"I've Got A Feeling" was finally released as a vinyl single in April 2025 as part of
Record Store Day and reached No. 38 in the
UK Physical Singles Chart and No. 75 in the
UK Singles Sales Chart.
Both Monaco albums were reissued on coloured double vinyl by Music On Vinyl - Music For Pleasure appeared in 2024 with bonus tracks, while Monaco was released in 2025 with extra tracks and booklet.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
References
External links
Bio from the fan run site "World in Motion"Bio from the fan run site "Neworderonline.com"
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Alternative dance musical groups
English house music groups
Alternative rock groups from Manchester
Musical groups established in 1995
Musical groups disestablished in 2000
Musical groups reestablished in 2019
English electronic music duos
English alternative rock groups
Polydor Records artists
English post-punk music groups
English rock music duos