After discovering The Libertines' debut album 'Up The Bracket' last year and becoming obsessed with their raw energy and thoughtful songwriting, I was excited to see they were coming to Melbourne this year.
Touring off the back of their 2024 release 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade', their first album since 2015, The Libertines played to a sold-out Forum Melbourne last night (15 April).By 8pm the dance floor was completely full as the audience awaited the support act, Reverend and the Makers, a Sheffield band who formed in the early 2000s (like the headline act).
After dramatic pulsing and flashing lights lit up the stage, we were introduced to a suspender-clad drummer, before Jon 'The Reverend' McClure emerged in a white suit; we were off and away to a land of indie rock, disco and northern soul.
While the vocals were a bit loud at first, the Rev's energy was great, his uniquely British foul-mouthery cracking up the audience as we tried to make sense of his accent. If I closed my eyes and listened to Reverend's nasal and powerful tone, I could almost convince myself I was listening to a male Sheffield version of Nina Simone.
The song 'Open Your Window', with its almost Police-style '80s reggae feel was fun. 'Shine The Light' and 'Heatwave In The Cold North' were also highlights of the set. In a way, this set was a general introduction to a lot of British-led genres: ska, northern soul, indie rock etc.
The song that seemed to be the most well-known was the upbeat indie disco tune 'Heavyweight Champion Of The World'. Reverend and the Makers are almost like a funk, disco version of Arctic Monkeys – this doesn't come as much surprise since they're both Sheffield bands.
Unfortunately Reverend and the Makers had to leave the stage somewhat unceremoniously due to a time crunch, but they left us primed and ready for the British flavour of madness that The Libertines also deal in.
As the headliners neared, the room was really pumping, the crowd a talkative bunch, not too stressed about waiting for the band to appear. Emerging to The Temptations' 'Get Ready', The Libertines wandered onto stage, the two frontmen sporting oversized hats, Pete Doherty immediately recognisable with his long, grey hair and portly figure, and Carl Barât with his leather jacket, much shorter than Pete and full of energy.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
Bassist John Hassall was wearing a very stylish simple black suit, while drummer Gary Powell opted for a bright green two-piece Adidas tracksuit. These sartorial choices reflected the unique personalities that created such a ground-breaking band.
The sheer wall of noise that began once they started meant it was quite hard to hear Doherty's vocals for a little while, but we were intrigued nonetheless. Their first song was 'The Saga', off their self-titled album from 2004, and then 'The Delaney', an even earlier throwback from their 'Up The Bracket' single in 2002.
It was amazing how authentic both Carl and Pete's voices sounded despite the time that had passed; and the years of substance abuse that had marred the band. Having not seen them perform live, not even in a video, I was unaware they often swapped vocals within a song, blending seamlessly together in a way that feels like they were fated to be in a band together. Both of their voices have their own signature sound, but they complement each other so well that I often didn't notice the singer had changed within a song.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
The next tune, 'What Became Of The Likely Lads' was quite a touching song to see them perform, because it felt like a question the band had asked themselves many times over, and it felt like we were truly seeing what had become of these wild lads.
Next up, with a sparse and driving drum introduction, was 'Boys In The Band', which has now become a nod to the kind of image and influence they once had in their heyday There was something strange about seeing middle-aged men performing songs that capture youth, excess and sex; but given they wrote the songs, there's something beautiful about it too.
The brotherhood between Pete and Carl is clearly a core foundation of the band, as they hugged and talked onstage and often sang into the same mic as each other just for the sake of it. After these two songs, a strange narration played through the speakers of an American voice talking about love and hate, probably something taken from Charles Laughton's 1955 film 'Night Of The Hunter', which had inspired a tune of the same name which is on the new album.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
A new, unnamed guitarist emerged on an acoustic track so there could be some more sound. This tune leans into a dramatic, almost Wild West vibe, with a riff that Barât unashamedly compares to a piece from 'Swan Lake', albeit even creepier and brooding.
Bringing us back out of 'The Night Of The Hunter''s brooding atmosphere, The Libertines jumped right back into an old classic, 'What Katie Did', an almost-rockabilly tune that was clearly a fan-favourite that had the audience singing along with fervour asking "what you gonna do Katie?".
Pausing between songs, the lights focussed on drummer Powell and his expressive drum solo which settled into 'The Good Old Days', another old classic. Moving back to songs from the new album, 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade', the band played a raucous version of 'Shiver' and then 'Merry Old England'.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
The band then jumped straight into another song from 'Up The Bracket' – 'Death On The Stairs', which received a great response and allowed a healthy mosh pit to form at the front of the stage. Doherty and Barat's duelling guitar act and clear camaraderie during this song also helped to re-engage the audience.
After almost 45 minutes of music, Doherty finally addressed the crowd shouting "good morning Melbourne!". The kind of absurd British greeting one could only expect from these kinds of rockers. As they kicked off into 'Music When The Lights Go Out’, lots of people were singing along; there would have been lighters out if that was still the go. This song is a great example of the simple, angular and yet emotive riffs The Libertines are known for.
Another thing about this band's sound is how important Doherty and Barat's harmonies are. It's easy to miss them when you're carried away by the song, but even that suggests how well they've embedded harmonies into their songwriting.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
During another pause the narration from earlier resumed; it confused the audience a little bit but everyone kind of just went with it, and not long after the band played two tunes from 'All Quiet...' – 'Mustangs' and 'Baron's Claw' (featuring a one-off horn section of Barat on sax and an unidentified gentleman on trumpet). During these two songs, Pete broke free a bit and did some quite hilarious dancing across the stage, with flourishes and tip-toes like a punk ballerina.
Just when I thought they might be settling into the new album for a while, I heard the unmistakeable opening chords for my favourite tune, 'Up The Bracket'. The raw energy of this song cannot be beaten in my opinion, and the fans agreed.
The vibe stayed up as they played 'Run Run Run' and 'Can't Stand Me Now', which both evoked a huge reaction from the room. There was even another briefly successful attempt at crowdsurfing. The band members then slowly walked off stage, leaving the crowd a little bit confused as to whether the show had ended.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
The confusion only increased as the lights stayed down, but no amount of shouting or stomping seemed to bring the band back out. It was only after a fairly hefty chunk of time and a few errant chords emanating from off-stage that we were relieved to see the boys emerge once more from whatever they had been up to (let's not wonder too much).
This was a good hour and ten minutes after they had started, so a one- or two-song encore would have sufficed, but The Libertines decided to give us a hearty dessert of six songs! Forming a quartet around Powell (on keyboard) and Pete with an acoustic guitar, The Libertines serenaded us with 'The Man With The Melody', a pensive ballad from the new album, before threading back into familiar territory with 'What A Waster', a classic Libertines tune.
Then it was 'Gunga Din' from the 'Anthems For Doomed Youth' album with its laid-back reggae feel. We got a great snippet of Pete's smokey vocals as he started 'Songs They Never Play On The Radio'.
'Time For Heroes' was also a beautiful song to hear live, so true to the original, but with a sense that the lyric 'I cherish you my love' rang true for the band and their friendships. It also felt like a love song to the audience for having stood the test of time with this unhinged band.
The Libertines - image © Alisha Sawyer
For their final tune of the night, of course it was time to hear 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun', one of their all-time tunes and a great way to close out the show. The crowd's applause as the final song ended was almost deafening, and it was clear they had absolutely loved the show, even with its slightly uncoordinated stagecraft.
Leaving us hanging on a discordant strum and awash under ruby red lights, the band faced the crowd for their applause and then all hugged. Powell told us it was so good to be back, threw his sticks into the audience, said his piece about Donald Trump and Palestine and then they were all gone.
The Libertines were a little rough around the edges, but their songs and musicianship have clearly stood the test of the time. It seems like the band's survival against the odds is a testament to the genuine love between Doherty and Barât and their synergy as singers and songwriters. May they rock on and continue to run faster than the past.
More photos from the concert.
