Career
Besides trumpet, Cooke plays other brass instruments, including the French horn, and occasionally plays electric guitar and bass live. Whilst he was known to sing at some concerts (including a rendition of "This Guy"s In Love With You"), the only official Belle & Sebastian release with Cooke on lead vocals is "The Monkeys Are Breaking Out of The Zoo", from the charity compilation Colours Are Brighter. Cooke also plays in the ska band The Amphetameanies and appeared on the 2007 Idlewild album, Make Another World.
He has worked as an arranger for artists such as Franz Ferdinand, Philosophy Cunningham, and Jason Donovan.
He is said to have had an influence on other Scottish based bands, including Franz Ferdinand (who incidentally were given a bass guitar by Mick, leading to the formation of the band), whose members appeared in Belle & Sebastian"s enigmatic early promotional photographs. Cooke now composes music for films, theatre, and animations.
He worked as composer on CBeebies "Boj" and on "Zack and Quack" for NickJr His theatre work includes the score for Cannibal Women Of Mars which played at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow in 2013.