Pete Doherty Adds Dates to Solo Tour

Pete Doherty Adds Dates to Solo Tour

The Libertines front-man has added two gigs to his forthcoming solo tour of the UK. 

As confirmed, Doherty will play a series of shows in May starting at the Bristol Academy on the 11th of May. He will also play at Glasgow's Barrowlands as well as two nights at the Hackney Empire in east London. 

New dates have been announced this morning (21st March) are in Aberdeen at The Garage on May the 14th and at the Riverside venue in Newcastle on March the 23rd. Tickets still remain for all shows apart from the Barrowlands. 

Doherty is currently on tour in Europe with The Libertines and will appear with Carl Barât at John Cale's performance of 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' in Paris in April. He is also set to release a follow up from his 2009 album 'Grace/Wasteland' at some point this year. 

Pete Doherty will play: 

Bristol, Academy - May 11th
Glasgow, Barrowlands - May 13th
Aberdeen, Garage - May 14th
Newcastle, Riverside - May 16th
Manchester, Albert Hall - May 17th
London, Hackney Empire - May 19th - 20th 

The Libertines: Anthems For Doomed Youth

The Libertines
Anthem’s For Doomed Youth

All the way back to their heyday, The Libertines have provided a strong sense of belonging to many people. Making them feel part of something. Their first two albums were chaotic and full of energy and were part of many sixth formers CD collection. Fast forward eleven years and after reuniting for good in Thailand sending fans in to a frenzy across Britain, The four-piece now older and wiser had returned against all the odds to set about writing the long awaited follow up to 2004’s ‘The Libertines’.

Unlike their first two albums, Anthems For Doomed Youth is a very clean album. Thanks in part to producer Jake Gosling who has allowed bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell presence on the album. Lyrically Pete Doherty and Carl Barat do what they have always done since the early days. Constructing each song with emotional narrative as in the title track "You told the governor's wife about the last night of his life / She turned away in tears called you a liar / Where are all the old dreams now? The battalions once so proud? / Lost in some old song and hanging on the old barbed wire." The album does everything The Libertines did so well, proving that there is still life in the old formula.

Where the album lacks a bit of punch is within that statement itself. It lacks power. The first two albums were recorded with no hinges at all. They were exciting. Anthems For Doomed Youth’s opening few tracks feel a little lethargic and clean. Something which fans of the band may not have been expecting, “Fame And Fortune” however, packs a punch. Barat’s vocal is crisp and sharp which mimics the guitar tone. The bass and drums fit together perfectly too creating the first memorable moment on the album thus far. “You’re My Waterloo” is a pure ballad re-recorded strings and a piano and along with a superb vocal from Doherty is a real tearjerker. Many fans suspect that this song is about co-songwriter Barat and lines like “I’m so glad we know just what to do / And exactly who’s to blame / You’re my Waterloo / I’ll be your Stanley Park” seem to suggest that it could be, but theories aside, it’s one the albums most exquisite and best songs.

After this, Anthems For Doomed Youth takes us back eleven years to those fuzzy and powerful sounds we know to be The Libertines. “Heart of the Matter” and “Fury of Chonburi” pick up where the likes of “What Became Of The Likely Lads” and “Can’t Stand Me Now” left off and it creates a lovely sense of nostalgia which will bring joy to all those fans who have been waiting for this album. Much like the band the band themselves, Anthems For Doomed Youth is calmer, sure the songs will have huge impact when played live but on record everything is soft but don’t let that put you off.

7/10

Festival Preview: T in the Park

Preview: T in the Park

This year, Scotland’s premier music festival has moved to a new location. That location is Strathallan Castle deep in the heart of Perthshire. And after lots of court hearings, the festival will go ahead and thank god that it has as this year’s T in the Park is not one to be missed.

This year the festival has a vast range of acts from The Libertines to Avicii and from The Prodigy to Paloma Faith. Multiple NME award winning band Kasabian headline on Friday night fresh from their headline set at Glastonbury last year. It’s also the Leicester-based band’s first appearance at the festival for three years so expect them to show off their latest album 48:13 to the crowd. Elsewhere after the release of their first album in four years – Glitterbug-, The Wombats are hitting up T in the Park with their brand of indie-pop along with The Cribs and newcomers Blossoms and Coasts. David Guetta also makes an appearance. If he remembers to pack his USB stick.

Saturday see’s the return of The Libertines to T in the Park who last played in 2004. And with a new album fully written in Thailand of all places, the four-piece will bring their raucous indie to the ears of the crowd hopefully with a few surprises in store too. Saturday also sees a rare festival appearance this summer from The Courteeners who will no doubt get the crowd pumped up. Intricate electro-indie three piece Alt-J also grace the stage on Saturday which will be an interesting and unique experience for all involved. The year’s sensation (thus far) George Ezra will also appear on Saturday along with The Vaccines, Palma Violets, Enter Shikari and St Vincent making Saturday a day of big names across the stages.

If I said the following bands are all playing at a festival, you might think they would be the three headliners over a weekend. Wrong. Noel Gallagher, The Prodigy and Stereophonics are all playing on the same day at T in the Park this year. Two of the three (The Prodigy and Noel Gallagher) have released albums this year already, Stereophonics are set to release their ninth album in September so the crowd can expect lots of new music and spectacular live performances. After Jamie T’s success at the NME awards in 2015 he also plays on Sunday which also see’s Peace, Modest Mouse and much talked-about indie band Wolf Alice.

T in the Park is always a unique experience, set in the rolling hills of Scotland, and now after the move to Strathallan Castle the festival opens a new chapter in its life and this line-up is a perfect way to start this new era.