Peter Doherty is proving to be an evergreen songsmith, defying early predictions about a short-lived career. He has released eleven albums across several bands and projects, and his twelfth album, his fifth as a solo artist, Felt Better Alive, will be out in 2025. As part of the promotion of the new album, Doherty has been touring various places in the UK (the lyrics of ‘Albion’ determined the locations, he declares onstage), many of which, like tonight, are more intimate venues than what he is used to performing at. The title of his new album is also the name of his latest single, which has a lazy skiffle beat and lyrics that evoke imagery of Doherty as a lonesome cowboy entering a sleepy town, armed and ready. Tonight, Blackheath is anything but sleepy, with the vibrant crowd excited about the prospect of the legendary Doherty playing their local concert hall, and he is loaded with hits, as Doherty benefits from a rich back-catalogue of songs to mine for tonight’s gig.
The evening has a travelling circus vibe, with several acts providing support, creating an air of intrigue and suspense about what is coming next. Another Day are all angular guitars and serious frowns wrapped in leather jackets, and their five-song set zips past. Evan Williams follows, and his band has gained an extra member since I last caught them live, and their sound is denser, beefier and bolder as a result. Williams’ stage presence has also increased, and his occasional air kicks and struts are physical signs of the confidence he is emitting. He finishes on ‘The Arsonist’ which is fueled by passion and slowly burns; the future looks bright, and his debut album will be released next month.
Poet Luke Wright provides a brief break from the musical acts with his modern-day tales of excess and overindulgence. In between all this fun, Doherty occasionally pops up at the front of the stage, wheeling and dealing, offering copies of his fanzine for sale for a tenner a pop. His sales patter is impressive, and the audacity of his approach would make Alan Sugar blush.
Doherty takes the stage once again, this time with his guitar, performing ‘Suicide in the Trenches’, Siegfried Sassoon’s war poem that he has turned into a musical piece. Doherty is magnetising, and the stripped-back arrangement of guitar and vocals brings a new dynamic to the punk energy that normally bellows out of ‘Horrorshow’, ‘Night Of The Hunter’ and ‘What A Waster’.
The show has the air of a family affair with appearances at various points from Peter’s wife, son, and to the crowd’s delight, his toddler daughter charged on stage to play with the drum kit. His huge dog Gladys even wandered on stage at one point mid-song, prompting Doherty to consider taking him for a quick walkies. It all gives a relaxed vibe to the proceedings. Doherty is carefree and joyous, teasing the crowd with snippets of a song before changing direction. He performs a medley of ‘The Boy Looked at Johnny’ and ‘Run, Run, Run’ alternating between both songs. He is at his freewheeling best, taking requests from the crowd and ad-libing between songs.
‘What Katie Did’ entices a sing-along from the crowd before Jack Jones, the lead singer from Trampolene, enters the stage to read a segment from his new tour diary before dueting with Doherty on a beautiful version of ‘Paradise Is Under Your Nose’ with their voices intertwining. Doherty’s gigs have always veered on the edge of chaos and collapse, held together by safety pins bulging at the edges. The same is true tonight, where there’s a real spontaneous nature as members of his entourage jump on stage for different parts of songs. Doherty is a born showman who effortlessly entertains the crowd with his undoubted talent.
For ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’, the stage is filled with members of the support bands, family and four-legged friends for an electric version of the well-loved Libertines classic. The gig itself ends abruptly when it’s announced there is a medical emergency, and Doherty is ushered off stage. But amongst the ramshackle and erratic nature, there is an authentic charm. No one else could provide a night full of entertainment in this manner, and the creative spark that drives Doherty shows no sign of letting up. As he has proven time and time again, he is one of a kind.
The show’s highlights encapsulate this diamond in its rough nature. ‘You’re My Waterloo’, ‘Sheepskin Tearaway’, and ‘Songs They Never Play On The Radio’ are tender moments with emotional heft slipped in between the madness that showcase the craft of Doherty’s songwriting and lyrical gifts.
Doherty’s shows have always had an element of unpredictability, but whilst this used to relate to more of the dark side of rock and roll excess, it now relates to a lighter, fun and playful element of not knowing what is coming next in the merry-go-round of acts that surround him. Peter is a positive influence on upcoming bands, and the opportunities he has personally given to artists by way of support slots at his gigs or signing artists to his record label, Strap Originals, is commendable. Despite all the tabloid fodder he has been targeted with over the years, if you look below the surface, this is the true legacy he has provided to the music scene.
Words by Dave Holgado.
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