When Up The Bracket was released 20 years ago, it heralded a new era of indie-pop and brought with it skinny jeans, messy breakups and the occasional posthumous whiff of ‘was that it?’. The Libertines were at the forefront of that culture, but they have not been resting on their laurels. In fact, this show at Wembley’s OVO Arena proves that, musically, the group are tighter than ever, and that their songs have outlived the tabloid headlines.
First, we have a trio of (noticeably all-male) support acts. Louis Dunford has the songwriting skill and keen knowledge of physical/emotional London geography as the headliners, whilst The Paddingtons and The Cribs raise the room’s temperature by inciting multiple limb-crushing mosh pits. Between them, all three conjure the pathos and chaos of The Libertines’ world, perfectly preparing the audience for the set to come.
And what a set. Playing the entirety of Bracket, followed by tracks from both subsequent albums, The Libertines took a victory parade around their career with little breathing space in the heady rush of hits and riffs. Sometimes the show relied more on spectacle than the songs—fire dancers were impressive but didn’t come into their own until the final, anthemic ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’, and although watching the police beat up Pete Doherty was enjoyably ironic, it seemed slightly out of place. There were also points where Doherty seemed to go off on one, incorporating football chants and jokes that seemed a tad off-the-cuff. Nevertheless, it’s heartening to see Carl Barat fondly rolling his eyes at his antics rather than battling with him in the tabloids, and the chemistry between the two, as musicians and as friends, was moving. Singing together into one microphone, blending melodies composed in their teens, the two remain some of rock’s most charismatic and talented frontmen.
Above all this though, the songs remained the stars. In a set-list packed with hits, b-sides and album tracks, both hardcore and casual fans were satisfied with tracks that commanded all of the Albion-seeking swagger of the 20 years, but possibly played slightly better. In fact, the live performance did the outliers of the album multiple favours, most noticeably in ‘Radio America’, sometimes seen as a low point but here reclaimed as a welcome, melancholic breather. ‘Boys in the Band’, ‘Time for Heroes’, ‘I Get Along’ and ‘Vertigo’ remained as cool and energetic as ever, with Gary Powell emerging once more as the MVP and a powerhouse of percussion. John Hassall was once again the epitome of cool, barely seeming to move while delivering fast-paced bass without a hair out of place. The second half of the set involved tracks from later albums, including a mass singalong of ‘What Katie Did’ and ‘You’re My Waterloo’, and wholly joyous ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ and ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’. Flowing from punk to indie, swagger to melancholy, the set covered the whole of The Libertines’ career and with utter pizazz.
Perhaps The Libertines aren’t as cool as they were 20 years ago; perhaps their audience was divided between young punks, old rockers, indie kids and bucket hat bros. But the sheer scope of this demographic is a testament to their appeal and to their strength as songwriters. Rather than being the tabloid fodder many assumed the group would be reduced to forever, they have come back time and time again as powerhouses of live performance, consistently delivering better and better live whilst retaining some of the chaos they were adored for. After all, it wouldn’t be The Libertines if Doherty didn’t almost destroy a guitar or a bloke in a military jacket didn’t collapse over the front barricade. And whilst some of the stage theatrics were surplus to requirements, it’s the songs that have kept us on the good ship Albion for 20 years. Long may it sail.
Words by Issy Flower
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