I’m ashamed to say I never saw the Libertines play live. It’s one of my only regrets. Particularly when I watch the below YouTube clip of the band falling into the crowd at the Rhythm Factory, a gig that looks nothing short of madness. Just watch the people pogo-ing.
I would have given anything to have been there, for the Libertines were really important to me, and are still one of my favourite bands. I often wonder, ‘where the fuck was I? Pizza Express?’ Now the news has broken that they will reform this year for Reading and Leeds, I can’t help but remember the events of my summer spent trying to interview Doherty (Below are some unseen photographs). On my evidence, I can’t help but fear Doherty won’t turn up.
Long after the Rhythm Factory days and the Libertines split I was deployed by loaded to interview Pete Doherty at the time when he was at his most troubled and elusive. It was a story that nearly broke me, as like Pete I was struggling a bit myself. You can probably see from the photos. It was also a tale of sin and corruption, as loaded snapper Ian ‘Picture Bat’ Dewsbury and myself were sent up to Peter’s house in Wiltshire with several thousand pounds in cash. He opened the door.
Ian got some quite remarkable shots, and I spent the afternoon horse-riding and painting with Peter. He gave me a blood painting that I still have, and the story got me nominated for Interviewer of the year at the MJA awards. But it doesn’t take away from the fact I haven’t seen the Libertines play live, and it’s something I’d not like to admit to my friends at the NME who like me were close to Doherty at the time. Of course, I’ve seen Pete play solo numerous times, and I was at the Prince of Wales in Camden when Pete and Carl sang a duet together. But it’s not the same.
I suppose I’ll be going to Reading to see the Libertines as some kind of closure to this sorry tale, but I can’t help but wonder what the odds are of Doherty actually turning up. “[The] last song Libertines played together was The Good Old Days,” says the Twitter account of top Libertines book, ‘Bound Together’…”perhaps they could start with that?”
Tags: Babyshambles, Libertines, Peter Doherty