The Libertines
3Olympia Theatre, Dublin
★★★★☆
Not many people come back from a prison sentence for robbing a bandmate’s apartment, but Pete Doherty, the perpetrator in that 2003 court case, and Carl Barât, the victim, have a friendship and a partnership that transcends Doherty’s innumerable transgressions.
Now Doherty is, to quote another rock’n’roll survivor, Keith Richards, “happy to be here, happy to be anywhere”. He has been clean of drugs for five years, and the audience at The Libertines’ sold-out show at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin on Monday are here for the music, not the soap opera. It’s a crowd that was young when the band were young, most of them now in their late 30s and early 40s. Dublin’s baby-sitters are probably busy.
Doherty is dressed in a three-quarter- length overcoat and a trilby hat, like a bookie at a Christmas meeting at Leopardstown. Barât looks ageless. Not many fortysomething men can pull off a Peaky Blinders cap and a sleeveless T-shirt.
Four albums in 25 years on and off together is a meagre output, but it is quality over quantity for The Libertines. Their latest album, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, has delighted fans with a suite of songs at least the equal of what went before.
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Run Run Run, one of its tracks, is a joyous opener – and a signal that the band are here to promote the new record, not trade on nostalgia. Given the chaos surrounding their earliest incarnation, this is understandable.
A highlight from the new album is the shimmering, contemplative Night of the Hunter. Barât repairs to the piano to allow the Irish singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill to accompany Doherty on vocals.
Up the Bracket, Music When the Lights Go Out and What Katie Did, all from their heyday, are perfect singalongs for a Monday night.
To see The Libertines live is to witness the interplay between Doherty and Barât. Their voices are similar, and they harmonise well. Their guitar parts are perfectly delineated. There’s nothing very complex about Barât’s lead work, but it complements the songs perfectly.
By the time the encore rolls around Doherty has changed into a rather snugly fitting Guinness tracksuit top, but it’s Barât who is drinking the Guinness on stage. Time for Heroes and the final song, Don’t Look Back into the Sun, are perfect closers.
“What became of the likely lads, what became of the dreams we had?” The Libertines once asked themselves. They’re still around, thriving and surviving.
