Rourke has played and recorded with the Pretenders (featuring on "Last of the Independents", 1994); Badly Drawn Boy (with whom he played for two years); Proud Mary (featuring on "Love and Light", 2004); and Ian Brown (featuring on "The World Is Yours", 2007). In 2007 he formed Freebass with fellow bassists Peter Hook (New Order and Joy Division) and Mani (the Stone Roses and Primal Scream); he remained active in the group until 2010 and appears on its only album, "It's A Beautiful Life" (2010).