The Libertines: What has become of the likely lads?

Joseph Macaulay on 4 November 2024

There is a timeless quality in the washing away of other people’s sweat from yourself after a gig. That first moment of reflection. A lingering smile. The repeating lyrics of the closing song are still echoing round and round. 

Don’t look back into the sun… Now you know that the time is come…

It’s timeless because this very moment has been shared by innumerable other people. The riotous old days of The Libertines now seem an intangible myth. And yet here I am. Feeling the exact same things that they did all those years ago.

The water keeps on gushing over me. Don’t want to take any chances about the contents of that flying pint. But as the filth washes away, I think over every detail. From the moment I walked into O2 Academy, I knew I was in for an entertaining night.

The Liverpudlian Zuzu preempts the mood of the evening with a scintillating opening act of catchy indie rock. Her fifteen minutes on stage allow for a whirlwind showcase of both her songwriting skill and endearing crowd work. ‘Spy Balloon’, in particular, shows her talent for instantly singable indie pop hooks. An excellent start. 

During the interlude, Ed Cosens takes to the stage, to provide some soulful, acoustic entertainment.  Reminiscent of fellow Sheffielder Richard Hawley, Cosens’ rich voice reigns in the night’s excitement, making sure to not let the pot boil over too soon.

Moments later, and the arrival of Real Farmer. The Dutch four-piece shatter the calm with an explosion of punk noise, made all the more captivating by the oxymoronic combination of the singer’s Jim-Morrison-esque look, and vocals more akin to Iggy Pop or Idles’ Joe Talbot. For punk enthusiasts, they’re certainly worth checking out. 

A vicious final track, and thoughts turn entirely now to The Libertines. What would they open with? ‘The Delaney’, perhaps? Or a new tune off their recently released All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade? The set, a façade of The Albion rooms – the recently closed Margate hotel owned by The Libertines and featuring on the album’s cover – looms over us, begging the question. We don’t have to wait long to find out.

Like a loose rodeo bull, the band flails into life. It’s ‘Up the Bracket’. Of course! The title track of the album that started everything. Immediately, The Libertines’ magic is on display. They drunkenly slur through lyrics and guitar lines without ever looking for a moment out of control. It’s as though the frantic dancing of the audience drags the band along with them. Pete Doherty seems to acknowledge this, as he and the crowd share that famously crooked two fingered salute. 

Then it’s into the next one, and the first track off their latest album. ‘I Have a Friend’ sees The Libertines look at modern issues, interspersing their poetic style with mentions of free speech and empty human discourse. There’s no time to ponder these contemporary anxieties however, as the frontmen dive into a vintage guitar solo and the crowd continues to bounce. It’s hard to spot the countless trials and tribulations that litter the years between the two songs. The comradery between the band members is apparently stronger than ever, and their songwriting is, as always, on the money.

What follows is something of a greatest hits setlist, interspersed with new tracks. Some of these new additions prove the more poignant moments of the evening. Doherty takes on a Fagin-like persona for the haunting ‘Baron’s Claw’, and for a moment you could be watching something by Andrew Lloyd Webber. ‘Shiver’ and ‘Run Run Run’ are also welcomed as instant classics by a crowd in full and fine voice. The new album seamlessly weaves its way into the set, helped, it must be said, by The Libertines’ live embellishments that were somewhat lacking in the album’s overly polished production. 

As the final harmonica notes of ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ die out and the band leaves the stage, we are given a chance to catch our breath. But the crowd is baying for more already. That’s the thing with The Libertines; you simply cannot get sick of their sound. Each song has something interesting; a brilliant guitar line, a witty lyric, a vocal harmony from Doherty and Barât. They aren’t another 2000’s band going through the motions. Instead, there’s more a sense of vocation – this is what these four were meant to be doing. How else would they still be doing it?

The Libertines retake the stage and deliver a seven-track encore that resolutely satisfies any remaining song requests. As countless crowd surfers fly over my head, I find myself under The Libertines’ spell. I think it’s their authenticity that is most captivating. They indulge in the theatrical, the romantic, the poet, the rock star, because they are all these things. As I said, there’s a reason that this band is somehow still performing together, still enthralling audiences, still writing great songs. The Libertines are the real deal. They are as brilliant now as they ever have been, and I think it’s safe to say that for now, the good ship Albion is in steady hands. 

Words by Joseph Macaulay

Live at Leeds heads to Temple Newsam for inaugural ‘In The Park’ festival

Benjamin Forrest on 6 June 2022

Upon hearing that one of the largest and, let’s be honest, best metropolitan music festivals in the country, Live at Leeds, was establishing a classic outdoor summer festival, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I frequent Live at Leeds every year and it always proves to be a highlight of the Spring/Summer period, but on the other hand I was unsure whether a festival like Live at Leeds would work within the setting of a traditional outdoor festival. These doubts grew when I first saw the line-up for Live at Leeds: In the Park, which did seem to leave a lot to be desired if I am brutally honest. Much to my pleasure, though, Live at Leeds: In the Park turned out to be a roaring success and a brilliant day all around!

Hosted within Temple Newsham, which has also hosted Slam Dunk North since 2019 and was even the site of Leeds Festival for a few years in the early 2000s. With Slam Dunk having taken place the day prior to Live at Leeds, the grounds were already fully kitted out though, due to the size difference between the two festivals, some areas were closed off when it came to Live at Leeds. Whilst the indie-rock heavy line-up left much to be desired, the organisation of the festival certainly did not, the staff were all lovely and the day went off without a hitch (except perhaps the weather, which was very cold for much of the day). 

Although, as I have mentioned, the festival line-up was not to my personal taste, it did have some major pull for music fans – from the Mercury Prize winning Arlo Parks to the reformed 00s indie band Bombay Bicycle Club, as well as local heroes such as L’Objectif. The four stages provided a decent mix of acts to suit different tastes. Admittedly, despite my initial pessimism, over the course of the day I saw a range of great artists – some that I already loved and some that were newly discovered. 

The day kicked off with a set from West Yorkshire-based young punks The Lounge Society. The quartet seem to have a lot of momentum behind them, with releases on Golden Lion Sounds as well as legendary indie label Speedy Wunderground – who have previously released early work by the likes of Loyle Carner, Squid, Black Midi and BCNR. I had previously caught a bit of The Lounge Society at 2021’s Long Division Festival in Wakefield and, I have to say, the group seem a lot more polished now in comparison. The bassist/vocalist Cameron Davey, in particular, had a great driving energy to his performance and drummer Archie Dewis was like a machine. The group have some excellent, danceable punk songs with electronic influences (drawing comparisons to the likes of Folly Group), though I did find myself wishing for a bit more power. Perhaps it was due to the early nature of their set, or the relatively small crowd within the DIY Big Top tent, but the performance seemed to be somewhat reserved, as though the band were dancing around on the edges of power pool but refusing to jump in. Nevertheless, The Lounge Society provided a fairly decent start to the day, finishing their set with their Speedy Wunderground-released single Generation Game. 

The Lounge Society. Photo credit: @sarahoglesby_creative

Following The Lounge Society at the DIY Big Top were Macclesfield indie trio Cassia. Pulling an impressive crowd for such an early set (2:20pm), the three-piece appeared to be an early highlight for many attending the festival. The group deal mainly in feel-good indie tunes, similar to the likes of Circa Waves or Kawala. Whilst the band were not to my taste personally, their joyous indie rock seems tailor made for festivals and their songs (in particular their latest single ‘Motions’) would seem right at home in any Summer playlist. With a new album Why You Lacking Energy? set for July, Cassia are certainly ones to watch if you are into the indie rock scene. 

After a short break to visit one of the many food vendors at Live at Leeds (I mean, seriously, I’ve been to cities which have less choices for food), I returned to the DIY Big Top to see Dream Wife – who had previously closed out Live at Leeds in 2021 with a blistering set at Brudenell Social Club. If The Lounge Society had left me yearning for more power in performance, Dream Wife certainly delivered this, and then some! Empowering, danceable punk music and an immense stage presence meant Dream Wife’s set was one that definitely stood out on the line-up. The audience interaction was also some of the best I saw throughout the day, from spraying money (I presume fake money, though I was too far back in the crowd to verify) into the crowd to frontwoman Rakel jumping into the pit for the last song of the set – they certainly got the crowd going and filled the big top with positive vibes which were carried on throughout the day. It was also lovely to see Rakel and bassist Bella wandering around Temple Newsham, checking out some other acts throughout the day. 

Dream Wife. Photo credit: @sarahoglesby_creative

The undisputed highlight of the day, in my eyes, was the afternoon set by Australia’s finest export, and Live at Leeds 2019 alumni: Confidence Man. Taking to the DIY Big Top Stage at 4:15pm, the four-piece put on an immense show complete with outfit changes, champagne and impressive dance routines (both by Confidence Man themselves, and the security team at the front of the stage). Truth be told, Confidence Man were always going to be the highlight of the day for me; it was my fourth time seeing the group and they will always hold a special place in my heart – I still maintain that their gig at Brudenell Social Club in the Summer of 2019 was the greatest gig I have ever attended. The band played a range of tunes from their debut record as well as their recently released follow-up Tilt, accompanied by three different outfit changes in their 45-minute slot. Judging by the size and the reactions of the crowd, Confidence Man could have easily worked as a headliner, the atmosphere they created within the DIY tent was simply euphoric and I can only hope that they are invited back again in future years.

After catching the back end of Sport Team’s set on the MTV Main Stage, I headed down to the Dork Presents stage – which was technically two stages which were alternated between acts – to catch Porij, who were excellent, and local Leeds band L’Objectif (who are, apparently, quite big in the Netherlands). Although I did hear some disappointed people in the crowd, who has been expecting an authentic French rock band, the vast majority of the crowd reacted incredibly well to the band’s unique blend of indie, psychedelia and post-punk. The home crowd lead to some great audience participation and, of course, mosh pits. The bassist, in particular, stood out as a driving force within the band – both in terms of performative energy and musical talent, the basslines within L’Objectif songs being definite highlights. The group are fast rising within the local scene, as well as further afield, and seem to be headed for big things – they certainly aren’t one to be missed!

L’Objectif. Photo credit: Jamie Macmillan

After L’Objectif, I did not really feel a need to leave the Dork Presents stage, as Isle of Wight indie band Coach Party took to the stage. Their song ‘FLAG (Feel Like A Girl)’ had been on my radar since hearing it on BBC 6 Music so I was eager to see how they worked as a live band – as it turns out, they are pretty great! Referring to Coach Party simply as an indie band feels somewhat reductive, some of their songs would fit happily within the genre of punk, or at least post-punk, but regardless of what genre they can be pinned to, they put on an excellent show. It seemed as though the people of Live at Leeds were already aware of their greatness, as they pulled a sizable crowd despite clashes with both Sea Girls and Arlo Parks. Deserving of a much bigger crowd, however, was the next act at the Dork stage, Liverpool singer-songwriter Zuzu, who clashed with headliners The Vaccines. I had not listened to Zuzu before watching her set, but I thoroughly enjoyed the music despite it not being the type of music I typically gravitate towards. Dressed as though she had just walked off a Mary Quant fashion shoot in the 60s, Zuzu performed a great set of guitar-based pop songs which evoked empowerment and often anger but in a catchy, poppy way. Unlike a worrying amount of guitar-pop, though, Zuzu’s lyrics are far from vapid and she was refreshingly authentic during her crowd interaction between songs. Moreover, she also sings in her own accent – which instantly endeared her towards me, especially given that it’s a Northern accent! 

The last band of the day, for me, came in the form of another Liverpool act, The Mysterines, who headlined the Dork Presents stage. I was a big fan of early Mysterines singles ‘Take Control’ and ‘Who’s Ur Girl?’ (both released in 2019), and even the more recent single ‘In My Head’, the first single taken from the album Reeling, was on heavy rotation for me when it first dropped in 2021. Unfortunately, none of these songs featured on the setlist for Live at Leeds. In fact, their set was quite disappointing – for such powerful, dissident rock music, the band were quite boring to watch. Their stage presence was incredibly lacklustre, and crowd interaction was minimal at best. Nevertheless, much of the crowd seemed to enjoy the band’s set (which was shorter than advertised), with the sunset over Temple Newsham providing a good backdrop to the mosh pits inside the Dork Presents tent and the bottom of the hill. 

The Mysterines. Photo credit: Jamie Macmillan

Overall, then, Live at Leeds: In the Park 2022 was a brilliant festival! Contrary to my initial pessimism, I had a great time at the festival and, judging by the reactions on social media, everybody else who went did too! I have never been so happy to be proved wrong. The worry that Live at Leeds would follow Slam Dunk in completely abandoning the metropolitan aspect of the festival in favour of Temple Newsham has also been proven wrong; with a Live at Leeds: In the City line-up already announced for October 2022 – the initial announcement featuring the likes of Working Men’s Club, Los Bitchos and Dinosaur Pile-Up as well as headliners Pale Waves – tickets are available to purchase here. It is sure to be another great celebration of live music within the city of Leeds, and it also means we no longer have to wait a whole year in-between Live at Leeds events, so rejoice!