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Watch John Barnes join Peter Hook on stage for World In Motion rap
8 June 2026, 10:31 | Updated: 8 June 2026, 10:40
The England legend surprised the crowds by singing his famous rap during Peter Hook's show in Manchester last week.
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John Barnes joined Peter Hook & The Light on stage to perform the rap to New Order's World In Motion.
The former Liverpool and England football player - who featured on the original World Cup anthem which supported England's 1990 World Cup bid - joined the former Joy Division and New Order member for a crowd-pleasing rendition during his set at Manchester Academy on 4th June 2026.
Watch the pair perform the single, which gave New Order their only number one hit, in a video shared by Madchester on Twitter:
You've got to hold and give, but do it at the right time
— Madchester (@madchester_mdcr) June 5, 2026
Peter Hook & The Light at the Academy World In Motion drops…and out walks John Barnes to deliver that verse.
Goes right off, gaff absolutely erupts
A moment only Manchester could produce.#Madchester #hooky
#JohnBarnes pic.twitter.com/4cZqi3EdIW
Read more:
- Why did New Order record World In Motion for the 1990 World Cup?
- Peter Hook says Oasis "could be the intermediaries" for a New Order reunion
The moment came after last week Barnes appeared on The Chris Moyles Show and revealed a few football players actually had a go at attempting the rap and some were more successful than others.
“What happened was only six of us turned up to do the rap,” he reminisced to the Radio X DJ. “I can give you an exclusive of some people doing the rap live in 1990 on my phone. I can play it there if you’d like!”
He then opened his smartphone to reveal an audio of none other than Paul Gascoigne and Peter Beardsley attempting the iconic rap back in 1990.
Watch Chris Moyles' full interview with John Barnes here:
John Barnes shares the UNRELEASED raps from 'World In Motion'!
Meanwhile, the FIFA World Cup kicks off this Thursday 11th June, with England's first match taking place against Croatia on 17th June.
Barnes isn't the only one taking a trip down memory lane as Baddiel & skinner and the Lightning Seeds have announced a special anniversary version of Three Lions (Football's Coming Home).
The brand new anniversary edition - which is released on 12th June - comes complete with new artwork, courtesy of Guardian cartoonist David Squires.
The single, which was first released in 1996, is the only song in UK history to score a number one four separate times with the same artists - twice in 1996, during 1998 World Cup and then again in 2018 when it rocketed to the top spot from No.24 when England’s semi‑final run sent the country into full‑blown football fever.
Watch the official video for the anthem below:
Baddiel & Skinner & Lightning Seeds - Three Lions (Football's Coming Home) (Official Video)
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