It's been two decades since Jon McClure stood on a stage in Australia, performing the songs of his long-serving indie-rock vehicle Reverend & The Makers.
You'd be forgiven for forgetting about the project – or, for the younger folks in attendance, not knowing about it at all. Given how comfortably he slips back into the scenario, however, McClure's opening support slot tonight (12 April) makes it feel like he never really left – and besides, there may not be a more primed crowd for some 2000s nostalgia.It's quite a different format to the usual Makers fanfare on this run, with only McClure's bassist wife Laura and a tinny iPad drum machine accompanying him.
It's entirely to the Reverend's credit, then, that his songwriting translates impeccably into this format. Put it this way: when was the last time you saw a support act get over a thousand people to sing-along to a B-side (the excellent 'Bird Of Prey')?
The broad-shouldered and big-voiced Sheffield native ultimately proves to be the perfect foil as an opener, warming up the audience with the Makers' big hit 'Heavyweight Champion Of The World' and turning them into his makeshift horn section for 'Silence Is Talking'. Consider it another successful sermon.
The Libertines - image © Yejin Cho
The last time The Libertines played a headlining show in Sydney, they were on the verge of total collapse. It was 2004, and though the band had packed out the Gaelic Club in Surry Hills it was clear the wheels were falling off – not least of all because co-frontman Pete Doherty had infamously been derailed entirely and didn't even make it down under with his bandmates.
Here we are, nearly 21 years later, and the band emerges as a united front to a completely sardined Enmore Theatre – survivors in the most literal sense, and with a freshly-expanded catalogue to celebrate with an audience that's been there for all of it.
Indeed, the band have put a lot of faith in their fourth studio album, 2024's 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade', which takes the lion's share of the set this evening.
It's certainly a risk, given the usual cross-armed indifference that new material receives at gigs for legacy artists. What makes this different, however, is seeing how much effort the band puts into the performance – it's clearly beyond any kind of contractual obligation to play these songs.
'Baron's Claw' sees Doherty abandon his guitar to theatrically prowl the stage, with co-frontman Carl Barât even wielding a saxophone, while the close quarters of 'Man With The Melody' allows for a unique shift within the band's engine room rhythm section: Powerhouse drummer Gary Powell, easily the gig's man of the match, takes to the piano, while bassist John Hassall gets a rare lead vocal run.
The Libertines - image © Yejin Cho
The band have no qualms in playing the hits, certainly, but they're also not content seeing out their reunion on autopilot. Still, how about those hits, huh? 'What Katie Did' made a doo-wop backing troupe out of a room full of leery louts. While the rough-and-tumble 'Up The Bracket' converted the front of the dance floor into a field of Energizer bunnies.
'Can't Stand Me Now', which may still well be the best Libertines song of all time, feels even more within its power now – written as the relationship between Doherty and Barât infamously deteriorated, it now serves as testament to their staying power as they gaze into each other's eyes while trading verses.
For all it took to get here, it's a real moment of gratitude to be in the moment with The Libertines – not looking back into the sun, but forward to whatever comes next.
More photos from the concert.
