This is a site dedicated to the Libertines and their offspring. News, interviews, reviews, articles, pictures, videos and exclusives right here from the troubled world of the Babyshambles and Dirty Pretty Things (and, why not, Yeti).

10/31/2008

Drew and Carl together for charity


So, thanks to Arturo for the tip. This looks like it could be something exciting, more than just another side project for Drew, or a final outlet for Carlos... Anyway, the twosome have started a supergroup together with Jon McClure (in Italy we call people like him "prezzemolo", i.e. parsley, because it's featured in every dish), Mat Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream) and others. The name of the supergroup is "The Bottletop Band". An album is expected next year. In reality, the Bottletop Band is a collaborative project devised by the Bottletop charity and clothing brand Fenchurch. The idea is that a selection of talented musicians and producers come together and produce an album, in support of Bottletop’s charity work.
So, I think these are the recordings Carl was referring to in his blog entry of two weeks ago. The thought of he and Drew working together is rather titillating, and I'm sure something great will come out from this collaboration.

Babyshambles in pictures



Beautiful gallery this morning at NME.com: all the pictures featured are from Spencer Honniball's new book, 'Beg, Steal or Borrow – The Official Babyshambles Story' which is released on November 3. The book features in-depth interviews with all the band and an exclusive behind-the-scenes photography. Published by Cassell Illustrated, it's priced at £14.99. http://www.octopusbook.co.uk/.

10/30/2008

Scattered news

Peter is playing again tomorrow at 126 Commercial Road. Not sure about Amy Winehouse. It will be a ''proper Halloween party'' with ''strictly costumes only'', ie: you have to wear a costume. Dropper said:
"It has been confirmed by Peter so it's on, support tbc
Details to follow but it is first come first serve so email me for reservations.
Please state that it is for Friday's gig. x"
Another similar event (bar costumes, of course) is announced at the Woodberry Tavern on 7/11. Cal Roberts will support.

Plus!
The NME has something about Adamski (here)...
...and Drusillo's side-side-project (i. e Mongrel - here).

French Dog Writtles is down again. I wonder what happened to the Libertines new site announced by Kirsty and Kirsty a few weeks ago.
Speaking of which, I am not sure at all as to WHEN the DPT tour will be resumed. The gig at Subzero in Colchester of next Saturday seems to be on. On the contrary, there are very few chances to see The Mighty Carlos behind the decks at The Vice in Swansea tomorrow night. The club's advertising a Halloween party with the Blackout's Sean Smith as guest DJ.

So it's official: he quits.



From NME.com:

Alan McGee, who founded the Creation record label, signed Oasis and went on to manage bands including The Libertines and The Charlatans, has said he has quit the music business.McGee told BBC 6music that although he was through with running record labels and managing bands, he would continue to put on club nights. He explained that his decision to step away was based on his view that the industry is not run by music lovers."It was on my Facebook, my status said, 'Glad I'm not a manager any more, I really recommend it,'" he said. "But all I've really done is retired from managing bands after 25 years."He added: "I stopped doing the record company about a year or two ago because I think they're pointless things, like dinosaurs or trams or something. I'm still completely into new music and I'm still doing things with new bands, as in my clubs and stuff like that. I'm still going to be kicking about. "I think I'm a man of the times, kind of like Tony Wilson, really. We don't really have a place in the music industry anymore because we actually like music. "I think the pre-requisite for being in the music industry is not liking music and playing the corporate game, agreeing with your boss."

10/29/2008

Nuggets

  • Peter didn't play last night at Commercial Road
  • No explanation given yet
  • But it might happen on Friday
  • Article on the exhibition at Filthy's
  • Adam is playng a DJ set at the Kasbah (Primrose Hill Street) tomorrow night, apparently at a party special based around cult teen series Skins.
  • The Hawley Arms club (Camden Town) reopens on 31 October. Drew is expected to perform.
  • DPT's Swansea gig is apparently rescheduled on Dec 4 (here).
  • The other cancelled gig in Hatfield might be rescheduled on Dec 18.
  • This DPT rescheduled tour is confusing me more than ever. I'll post soon a recap of the remaining dates.

For the moment, au revoir.

10/28/2008

Babyshambles Bootleg Homepage

Welcome to the home of BABYSHAMBLES BOOTLEG, the bands official site for merchandise.

In this site:
  • Shop on-line: T-shirts and Bootlegs
  • Official band videos
  • Live videos and stuff
  • News blog
  • Forum
  • Guest book
  • Myspace
  • Links

Sorry, Carlos...



I know I called you a hypochondriac a few days back. Now it seems you were ill for real. Skeptical is my second name and all this mud must have crept up into my brain.

Anyway, you shouldn't have gone to that stupid premiere (and especially at the afterparty!). Sick people must stay in bed, innit.

Get well soon, Biggles.

More from last night

Wow wow, it must have been a blast! And it's on again tonight!

From NME.com:
Pete Doherty played a gig last night (October 27) with his Babyshambles bandmates Adam Ficek and Mick Whitnall at a flat in east London. The Whitechapel gig was advertised on internet forums, with fans paying £20 through a cage door at the front of the private flat to gain entry. Doherty played at one end of the sparse main room, with a makeshift bar set up at the other. The singer/guitarist began playing at about 9pm (BST). Ficek, who performs under the alias Roses, Kings, Castles, also performed solo songs during the show. Fans sang along and joined in the show throughout, until around 10:45pm (GMT) when, while performing a cover of the rock standard once covered by The Beatles, 'Twist And Shout', Doherty tore through the crowd to the backstage area. Whitnall and Ficek played Babyshambles' 'I Wish' to end the show.


Jamie Fullerton writes:

You know that weed factory the toffs run in 'Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels'? With the jail rails surrounding the door, the cut-price security camera trained on the entrance and the constant stream of undesirables? It was a bit like that at the Pete Doherty gig in a distinctly dodgy Whitechapel flat I went to last night. We heard the strumming from the road.

Working on the assumption that Pete shows generally don't begin before the kind of hour at which most people are sound asleep dreaming of a Libertines reunion (OK, maybe that's just some of us), myself and snapper James Quinton arrived at the flat after an internet tip-off at about 10:30pm. Just after I turned the video camera off for the above shot we had to part company with £20 each to allow the jail doors to swing open. Inside was a large, bare flat with a makeshift bar at one end and a huddled crowd of around 100 people at the other. A trilby was bobbing up and down somewhere in the middle, and what sounded a bit like the rock classic 'Twist And Shout', famously covered by The Beatles, could be heard through the fuzz-box amp.


Video by Docile33 (Ocean).

And Dropper, our secret agent in Havana, said about tonight:

"same time, same place email me ar7875@yahoo.com if you'd like to reserve tickets or just turn up. The sound should be better tonight and there'll be some other bands playing including some Cazals".

Peter's last night shindig

Fuck, I wish I was in London in these days. Word to Alicepooh, who was lucky enough to attend the event, and nice enough to write a long report:
126 Commercial Road – October 27th, 2008 It’s just before eight o’clock and a dozen or so people are standing, huddled against the cold in front of a mini-cab office in Whitechapel. Commercial Road, to be precise – not Commercial Street. Passers-by might have wondered what we were all doing there. No pub, no club, just a string of shuttered garment wholesalers and a few curry houses. Most likely, more than one of us wondered what we were doing there – and what might await us up the narrow flight of concrete stairs through a busted door. Of course we were there on the latest treasure hunt to see Peter Doherty play. A game of frantic emails to get your name on the ‘list’ that would, with a twenty pound note, guarantee admission. Not so much a secret gig as a challenge to speed and willingness to stumble through the lesser known corners of our fair city to... no one quite knew what. The appearance of Adam Fieck and Andy from Lazy Eye reassured that this was going to happen, and the word spread around that Peter was inside already. But not without testing our hardiness. About an hour after we arrived, people started ascending the steps, two flights up, to reach a gated entrance to what must be a small club, guarded by two amiable Bengali lads. This was, after all, the heart of Bangladeshi London. A long narrow room, remarkably salubrious, actually, despite a slightly unfinished look, with Peter already in place, playing, greeted us, and we found a spot next to the performance area at the side. Performance area is a slightly grand term – a couple of chairs, a pool table on its side, a stool holding a harmonium and a microphone stand marked off the end of the room. It was about ten to nine. For the next two hours, about seventy people danced, laughed and sang along. Adam occupied one of the chairs with a beaten up snare drum between his knees, and accompanied Peter with a pair of broken drumsticks, making the most of the drum rim, the harmonium and the metal feet of the pool table. About twenty minutes in, Mik Whitnall arrived in full motorcycle gear, and someone produced an amp and electric guitar that we trusted had not arrived strapped on the back of the bike. ‘Where’s Drew?’ someone in the crowd shouted out. Peter responded with a mumble that included a discernable ‘baby’. ‘Drew’s having a baby?’ Someone asked. ‘Yeah,’ replied Adam, ‘that’s right, Drew’s having a baby.’ Everyone giggled. The whole event was shambolic, but made up for the half mumbled lyrics, the crap sound and the fit-up feel with a good-time atmosphere and an intimacy that was breathtaking. There were some great musical moments. Unstookietitled and Albion were particularly beautiful. It was lovely to hear Oceans again, now with more structure and lyrics than the last time we’d heard it in the spring. There were lots of unfamiliar songs – some apparently in a state of evolution with incomplete lyrics – and a fair number of covers, including The Smiths, Blur, and most notably to my ear, a rousing, sing-along version of Twist and Shout at the end of Peter’s set. Adam played three of his songs, Entroubled, Pretty Sue and Sparkling Boots, during which Peter joined in on drums, threatened to knock over the stool holding the harmonium whilst playing it rather vigorously, and amused the entire crowd by leaning over to the mic to join Adam in singing at all the wrong moments, and then darting away in repeated confusion. Peter also conducted a corner of the crowd in ‘ahhs’ during Pretty Sue using the drumsticks as makeshift batons. A note on French Dog Blues had instructed the audience to bring instruments, but few complied. A harmonica appeared, as did a tambourine. Adam managed to commandeer the tambourine which was secreted away under the drum. Clearly, ‘bring instruments’ did not mean tambourines. The harmonium sat prominently in the centre of the stage, but no one came forward in response to Peter’s request for a pianist. ‘Wrong type of crowd,’ he muttered. ‘Can’t get the good ones any more.’ Adam had a go at the harmonium, as did Peter to rather less effect, but it was only on the last few songs that the instrument was properly played by one of the Bengali young men who seemed to be associated with the venue. There were lots of songs, some incomplete, and some improvised, including bits of nice blues guitar from Peter and Mik. Peter played around a lot with the lyrics, and with the timing of them... allowing the audience to sing ahead of him, and then coming in himself after we’d finished a phrase. I couldn’t possibly attempt a set list, but it included For Lovers, MWLGO, Tell the King, Carry on Up the Morning, Unbilotitled, Baddie’s Boogie, Killamangiro, Through the Looking Glass, and a particularly rousing version of Time for Heroes. Peter chatted a lot, and aside from the bits said without a microphone, most of it was lost in the muffled PA system. Adam spent most of the gig grinning and making faces, trying to follow what Peter was doing and shrugging good naturedly when things ground to an occasional halt. Peter finished with the announcement, ‘same time tomorrow night’ and made his way off through the crowd, leaving Mik to finish off with I Wish. We wandered towards the door to the strains of ‘Happy Birthday (Abi?)’ to find that the exit was locked, and someone had gone to find the guy with the key to let us all out. Another totally unique, unforgettable night. And you could smoke. What more could a person want?

10/26/2008

Peter's secret acoustic gig tomorrow


French Dog Writtles is down, so thanks to Powermonkey for the info:

"East London Monday night. 20 sheets - guestlist only. email ar7875@yahoo.com for yer spot/spots. 150 capacity".
The address should be: Commercial Road, 126.

One more bit:

Carl's acting debut "Telstar" was premiered last night at the London Film Festival. Carletto Barattolo showed up (see photo). Apparently not on death's door anymore (hypochondria, anyone?).



10/25/2008

Babyshambles book reminder!



Guys this is just to remind you that "Beg Steal or Borrow", the official Babyshambles story, is out on November 3.

For more info, pictures, press releases etc go to the myspace page of the book and join!

The Drunken bed

This video is too cute to be ignored, and so is Pete's comment:
"Drafty in here, bloody central heating iffy. Unpedictable. Not helped by someone smashing my back doors in last week. Haha, no not in the hmpWanno or scrubs sense of the wording.... burr! Under the duvet methinks.eyes down for a wee drop of rum and a well-deserved skeep".

Glad to hear autumn still exists in Blighty, while I'm back in my tropical land where summer never ends and floodings have just killed five people.
Steeped in mud, Yours Truly.

10/23/2008

More bits

From Adrian:
Lazy Eye Management have succumbed to Facebook. Sign up for info etc. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=772856053&ref=profile And also, My Space. http://www.myspace.com/lazyeyeartists. Feel free to add or ignore as you see fit. bb.

From Adam some tips on the RKC tour:
Brunswick cellers 7.30pm - 23rd oct. free entry
Grouchos records dundee - 24th. (dinner money show) free entry
also coming up belfast, zurich, latvia, mansfield, winchester, london....
noe go learn the songs from the album. Adam

From Carlos (with video): This way

DPT's tonight gig (Hatfield) is cancelled. Apparently germs are still rife (ahem not the punk band).

10/22/2008

I have a new fellow blogger


Welcome on board Carlos. The man has started writing his blog here. Given his reputation I guess this will be the one and only entry for quite a while, but you know, don't ever lose faith in love and music. Interesting bits toward the end:

Monday 20th October
I've never taken the time to make a blog until now, but as the tourniquet of technology tightens around my idle archaic universe, I feel it may be time to put dear old Mr Pascoe's IT lessons into practice once and for all. In this blog, with any luck you should find a vaguely comprehensive if occasionally romanticised window overlooking the varied vistas of my week. This should cover music, inspirations in general, random derring do and whatever I remember or deem significant...
I'm sat at the head of a cheap plywood boardroom table at the back of the student's union. Stage time is looming as is a repeat performance of a hastily downed chicken dhansak. I'm racking my brains to recall 20 unsigned bands, both of promise and of the moment. I'm nearly there. My bandmates are getting vaguely heated over the set list and breaking my concentration. The student metal band will be offstage in a minute and I must take to my calling, curry permitting.
What have I been up to recently? I've been in the studio with the Reverend Jon Mclure working on a couple of tracks on my own, I wanted them to be completely without guitar, and so they ended up more like Nico meets the Prodigy than whatever I was expecting. Interesting start though. I popped into the Prince of Wales pub to watch Pete (Doherty) do a gig and ended up jumping on stage with him for a few sweaty numbers. (Thus erroneously igniting the old "libertines must be reuniting" touchtape). Also James from Glasvegas kindly invited me to Transylvania to sing on a Christmas record and we celebrated long and heartily. Then there are The Chavs to speak of, but alas I'm out of words and stage time is here.
Soonest, dear sweet blog. X

10/21/2008

Bits


  • A guitar autographed by Carl Barat (see photo) and many others is on sale for charity here
  • In the new NME: Pete Doherty and an exclusive insight into his sketch doodles.
  • The DPT gig at LEEDS MET that was cancelled on Wednesday 8th October has now been re-scheduled for MONDAY 10TH NOVEMBER. Original tickets will be valid for the new date.

10/19/2008

Carl & co at Southampton

photo by Yfli

The brit leg of DPT's tour is quickly wrapping up. Great report (as usual) by Alicepooh (needless to say this tour seems to be TOTALLY ignored by British press):

"'It's the end of the tour', Didz announced after the show last night. Not quite sure how that works out, given they've got 3 more English dates in the next fortnight. But for reasons other than the obvious (I'll be really sorry to see the last of the English tour dates in a fortnight), I'd be really sorry if last night had been the last one. The band played well. But if a significant percentage of what makes a gig good or bad is about mood, about audience and performer interaction - that funny, slightly hard to define chemistry that makes things exciting or crazy or ugly - then last night was really scraping the bottom of the barrel. From the off, it was clear that there were a lot of wankers in the crowd. People who felt it was OK to boo and heckle Kieran Leonard - the only support of the evening - just bloody piss me off. There's no rule that says you have to like a support band. I happen to really like Kieran's stuff, but it's very different from DPT and it's understandable that he goes down much better with some audiences than others. But heckling? That's just horrid. And unnecessary. And completely ignoring the bottle that it takes to get up on stage in front of a crowd not there to see you and perform on your own. But even that didn't prepare me for the level of sheer agression in the crowd last night. Or the woeful inadequacy of the security team at dealing with the crowd or the surfers or... well, anything, really.Only once before have I been deliberately attacked by someone else in the crowd. Last night I and a number of my companions were assaulted by a couple who deliberately thwacked us on the head, dug elbows into our backs and scratched shoulders. For no apparent reason other than that we were on the barrier and they weren't. A crowd surfer was dropped by security after a particularly inept attempt to drag him over the barrier by the ankles - and he was clearly stunned - but that didn't stop them trying to haul him upright and out immediately. The band were pelted with full beer bottles and cups throughout the set. And it pissed them off. Carl, it appeared, wasn't feeling well either. They dropped both Blood on My Shoes and Truth Begins from the set - whether due to Carl feeling dodgy or annoyance with the crowd - but it all felt slightly sour. Didz waggled his finger admonishingly at the crowd (Daddy-ness coming out) and Carl told the crowd off, suggesting that if anyone spotted who was throwing bottles they might beat the shit out of them. The undisputed highlight of the set was the last song, YFLI, dedicated to guitar tech Mo, whose last gig it was - and who joined the band playing the song - obviously having the time of his life. It was one of the few times when the stage sparkled with a sense of joy and fun. I know a lot of people really enjoyed last night. And, the band did play well. Tight and fast. But I won't be heading back to Southampton to a gig in a hurry."
Plus! Photos by Veronika Moore on Flickr.
Setlist by Linna: Wondering - Holly - Buzzards - Doctors - Hippy - T.O.England - Bloodthirsty -Kicks -Gin & Milk - Gentry - Come Closer - Enemy - Chinese - Playboys - Plastic - Deadwood (encore) Bang Bang - YFLI

10/18/2008

Peter's last night appearance


I asked for info but nobody seems to know anything about it. By the way, Peter played at the Booglaoo last night at the birthday party of a friend of his. No setlist, no videos, no tips, only a series of photos at wenn. I chose the best one (above), the others are visible here. Info would be much appreciated of course, it looks like a cool event and Peter looks great.

10/17/2008

My last ever post! Come here everybody and read me!

I feel like taking the piss right? But since I don't do farces, no, this is not my last post and I'll be around for another... while.
So, Dirty Pretty Things have announced "their final ever gig", and it's not Paris.
From NME.com:
Carl Barat's band, who have already announced they are to split, will headline the Jail Guitar Doors/Real Fits fundraiser gig in at the Hackney Round Chapel in London on December 11.The night will also see performances from The Enemy frontman Tom Clarke, Reverend And The Makers mainman Jon McClure and The Archie Bronson Outfit.To check the availability of Jail Guitar Doors/Real Fits fundraiser tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094. Jail Guitar Doors is a charity that has been set up by Billy Bragg, with the aim of giving musical instruments to prisoners. Dirty Pretty Things play the final date of their final UK tour at final Southampton final Guildhall final tomorrow final night (final October final 18).
One more thing, and it's not final, the video for Mongrel's "The Menace" is up here. Drew doesn't do much (still with his Taxi Driver look) but the song is cute (Jon must have been listening to all Dr. Dre records lately).
LATER!!!

Peter at The Woodberry Tavern, 16/10

Photo by Wolfman (the bloke on FDB, not the real one!)

Sorry General, for not trusting you. The gig was a real thing.

"He was wonderful tonight" says SarahB "best gig since the torriano, He was having such a good time, smiley, interactive and cheeky and played really fucking well. Was well worth the wait. The magic is back (for me anyway)"
"Smashing (while it lasted!), Grimaldi and Arcady were definitely the highlights for me" says Greenlove "I wasn't overly excited by the rest of the set list, but he played wonderfully. Peter seemed far more precise with his guitar work than the last few gigs, and he actually looked like he was enjoying himself! (was this same Peter from the last rhythm factory outings? surely not..!). Alan Wass was great as well, as was Ballad Of A Thin Man on the pavement outside!"

Setlist by Wolfman: Arcady - For Lovers - Killamangiro - half of Smashing - Unbilotitled - Time For Heroes - The Delaney - Ballad of Grimaldi - There She Goes - Baddie's Boogie - Albion Music - When The Lights Go Out - What Katie Did

10/15/2008

Roundhouse Blues


DPT's last London gig:
Ponyrock took some photos (mainly Anthony Rossy - nothing wrong with that) and also a video (Gin and Milk). The gig was good but sadness was rife. Yeah Carl undoubtfully did the right thing splitting up the band but one thing is reasoning with a cold mind, one thing is feeling with your heart. And it makes you wonder why Carl Barat seems to be only happy when it rains, like the old song (I'm talking Jesus and Mary Chain, not Garbage!). Whatever. The hall was full in the end because people were being allowed inside for 5p! I didn't see reviews in the press yet. Not many photos either. This is a band disbanding, why waste time and ink? Tonight the tour stops. Next date is tomorrow at Oxford's Carling Academy.
Another one of those things?
Peter's at the Albion Towers recording his solo album... and shooting silly videos, for the joy of the redtops that have been on a serious Doherty-deprived diet lately. I thought it was a good sign, but didn't last long. Mik being nicked and bailed did not help much either. Now there's an advert for a gig tomorrow at The Woodberry Tavern. Literally:
Peter Doherty & General Santana & Ark Of The Covenant performing at the Woodberry Taverna in Tottenham N15 this Thu Oct 16 2008
Peter Doherty & Friends at the Woodberry Taverna 618 Seven Sisters Road
Thursday will Be £10 for admission
Start 8pm Peter Doherty acoustic
General Santana & Ark of the Covenant
Cal Roberts
I have no idea whether this thing is happening or not. I don't trust the people involved (that is, General) but you never know...

10/14/2008

Dirty Pretty Things - The Last Waltz in London

Waiting for the band's swansong at the Roundhouse tonight... let's recapture them when they were at their peak, at the SXSW Festival in March 2006.

10/12/2008

Adam and Drew get busy


Separately.

Adamski recorded an interview and two tracks for BBC Berkshire's Sunday Night Session (tonight at 7 pm). You can also see two videos at Flickr, Entroubled and Horses plus various photos. Plus! This afternoon (3 pm) Adam is doing a signing session at Fopp Records in Cambridge, and later (8 pm) he'll be playing at the Syd Barrett Tribute, Portland Arms, Cambridge.

(Dirty Pretty Things are also playing in Cambridge tonight, but at The Junction).

Drew played last night at the Diesel XXX event in London. Peter wasn't there, but judging by the photos I think the whole affair was slightly dreadful (I mean, Paris Hilton. Paris Fucking Hilton. And Roberto Fucking Cavalli. And Kelly Fucking Osbourne). "He played played bass on a cover Kelly Clarkson's 'Since you been gone' with Mark Ronson on guitar" says Miss Mellow "Then a cover of Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy', with The View which was great apart from Kyle's screechy vocals. Then Drew said he hoped Peter would be here by now so they could a song with him, so he asked the crowd if they should carry on or 'fuck off''. Of course they didn't tell him to fuck off and they played an okay version of 'Fuck Forever'. Finally, Drew played with Lethal Bizzle on 'Police on my back', which was ace".
The event was aired in the net but I was having a night out and didn't watch it. Well, I was sure Peter wasn't going to turn up.


10/10/2008

The Librarian's Post



So, how many books have been written so far about Pete Doherty/Babyshambles/Libertines?

Quite a horde, innit. I was looking for news on the upcoming Babyshambles bio (see cover above) and I suddenly found a lot of pamphlets I'd never heard of before.

Let's make a bit of order right?

Kids In The Riot: High and low with the Libertines, by Peter Welsh. The first and the best. A must for everyone who wants to get near this band. Peter Welsh is a fan and a friend, and he's surely someone who's never afraid to tell the truth.
Bound Together: The story of Peter Doherty and Carl Barat and how they changed British music, by Anthony Thornton and Roger Sargent. A good read for people who were too busy or distracted (or too young) during the first coming. Thornton is a friend and a fan, but he's also a (NME) journalist, and unfortunately in many parts of the book the journalist takes over. And truth lingers somewhere else.
Pete Doherty: On the edge, by Nathan Yates and Pete Samson. Very disappointing pamphlet by two authors who behave more like shrieking fanboys than writers, and think they can uncover the mystery surrounding Doherty by interviewing all his ex lovers (real and self appointed). Forgettable.
Pete Doherty: Last of the rock romantics, by Alex Hannaford. I haven't read it but the title is enough to make me cringe. "By far the more revealing about Doherty's background and his calamitous affair with Kate Moss" wrote the Sunday Times. Well, I think I'll keep avoiding it.
Pete Doherty Talking, by Dave Black. What's this affair? I guess it's a booklet reporting quotes from Peter's various interviews, a bit like in the old "In His Own Words" series.
The Books of Albion: The collected writings of Peter Doherty, by Peter Doherty. Weighty tome collecting the old glorious Books of Albion from start to finish. I was so excited when I heard it was coming out. I was obviously hoping for a transcription of all the writings as well. No. Those are just the original Books of Albion with a hard cover on. I had already "read" them all at Albion Arks and my eyes are still hurting.
Pete Doherty: The Shambolic Libertine, by Seamus Craic. I haven't read it. I hardly knew it existed at all. Adrian said: "Well, let's just say that a copy ripped in two has pride of place on my mantlepiece as a totem of everything a book should NOT be. Awful, simply awful."
Pete Doherty, My Prodigal Son, by Jacqueline Doherty. "No way I'm going to buy this book" I thought at first. After two years... I rest my case. Sorry Jacqueline, the cute pictures aren't enough to change my mind, and in any case everybody has seen them in the net.
I Won't Give Up, by Fabio Paleari. If I'm not mistaken this is a photographic book, right? The reviews are not too encouraging, and the price is a bit scary. "Don't waste your money on it" says Mrs Jones on FDW "unless you like to see pics of random people having sex/Paul Ro/the Whitechapel Scene". OK then. Point taken.
That's all I found in my Doherty Library. Anybody with more imput is welcome, of course.

10/08/2008

The importance of being un-libertine



The NME interview with Carl Barat and Anthony Rossomando, in full:

"It Just Became un-Libertine"

Carl Barat has revealed that he split up DPT last Wednesday October 1 because the band has become “business like” and “un-Libertine”. He insisted the break up of the band, currently on their final tour, was not paving the way for a Libertines reunion. “We were going along the conveyor belt” Barat told NME. “It became business like, very un-Libertine. People weren’t even turning up to stuff. I had a moment of clarity during my illness (Barat recently had acute pancreatitis) - it didn’t feel right, I wasn’t happy”.

Barat explained that when he broke the news there were “mixed reactions” but the overall sense among the four piece was relief. Guitarist Anthony Rossomando revelead that he had already been planning to leave due to fraught album sessions in California and his view that Barat worked better alone. “I’d been planning on leaving for a long time” he said. “I was like ‘when is Carl going to decide what he wants to do’ . We’d had loads of 9am conversations off our faces. Carl was like, ‘You wouldn’t care if this ended tomorrow would you’. I was like ‘Nah’...."

When asked if he was pleased with DPT’s tepidly-received second album, Rossomando said “No. The recording was fucked. If I talk about it, it’ll get ugly. If it wasn’t for psychedelic desert drug trips I couldn’t have got through it”.

While Rossomando said he would pursue collaboration projects following the split, Barat said he had no plans, although he promised he would continue to write music. He quashed rumours of a Libertines reunion despite playing live with Pete Doherty in London last month. “I might come back (performing) in five minutes” he said, “but this is absolutely not paving the way for a Libertines reformation. “With this off our backs the tour is like the last days of Rome. I love the boys too much to keep this band going. It would have killed our relationships. Now I feel free”.

Top irony: the photo accompanying the article shows the band during their performance in prison of last year. Enjoy your freedom, Carl, and don't throw it away. Again.

It was with a bit of sadness that I noticed Dirty Pretty Things are playing tonight at Leeds Metropolitan University, and on the same night Kaiser Chiefs + Late of The Pier are playing Leeds Academy, and their gig is sold out. Something went definitely wrong along the way with Carl's second band, and I do think he took the right decision this time. I mean, this time. Ahem.

Anyway, DPT played Manchester last night and our friend Alicepooh was there and that's what she said: "[...] Hot, sweaty, the most intense crowd yet, but good natured, despite massive squeeze-push. For those doubting if the band is really on top form… well, what can I say. This was a fantastic gig by any standards. The band raced through the songs, but not as if they were trying to get it over, but with ferocity and, to my eyes, joy. Oh, and for those who care about such things, Carl shed his shirt at the break".


10/07/2008

Tips



Carl's truth begins at the new NME: the man reveals why his band split up ("it just became... un-libertine" - Hellllo-o, Biggles?). Preview of the interview:
Carl Barat has broken his silence about the Dirty Pretty Things split, telling NME.COM about his future plans. Barat said he had no concrete plans, although he confirmed he would continue to write music. Dirty Pretty Things announced that they were splitting up last week (October 1). Carl Barat and co. are currently on their final UK tour before they part ways."I've got no regrets," Barat told NME.COM. "It's liberating. We're bouncing around likes hares. It's like the young boys in the band again. It's given us a lift." Speaking about his future plans, Barat continued, "I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with my guitar, not running round in circles [fulfilling obligations]. "I'll carry on writing. If I think what I'm writing is something I want to play to the world, I'll do it. It could be five minutes [before I return to the music scene]. I've got quite a short attention span. Having said that, I might change careers and become a bank robber." For the full interview with Carl Barat and Dirty Pretty Things and what it means for the possibility of The Libertines reuniting, get the new issue of NME, on UK newsstands tomorrow (October 8).

New video on Peter's channel. Now we've got Stephen Street on board once again. What happened to Jake Fior? Oh well... enjoy.

The Manchester Ritz gig is rescheduled on 13th November. Adrian said: "Just checking original Tickets still valid which I assume they will be but it's good to check".

According to Adrian, Peter will also be playing at London Matter this saturday but as a "secret guest".

10/06/2008

Monday Monday so good to me

DPT's Farewell Tour goes on:
Cheers to our friend Liam from Glasgae, who spent Saturday night with Carl and his minder Mario until 9 am of Sunday morning, and although he promised us lots of saucy piccies and videos we haven't seen any yet!
Kidding. We know Carlos doesn't want to be seen in the nude!

And cheers also to our lovely Drusillo, who played a great show supporting Albert Hammond Jr last night at The Scala.
"Was a bloody great night!" says Bella from FDW "I absolutely love AHJ - what a sweetie. Helsinki were absolutely amazing. Loving this band so much. I don't remember them having quite so many people before?? Last night there was a drummer and a percussionist. Started off with Ampersand. Unfortunately no singing in Spanish or French or Mongolian or whatever other language Drew can sing in! Really enjoyed their set, and the whole night. To be honest, Helsinki are so good I'm wondering how long they're going to stay a side project........ Or what I mean is that I think they're too good to stay a side project".
GIGS OF THE WEEK
It seems Peter is not playing at London Matter this Saturday. At least, the site of the event does not name him in the line up. And of course, he's not playing Manchester either on the 8th.
DPT
7 Academy 2, Manchester
8 Metropolitan University, Leeds
9 Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
11 Keele University, Newcastle
12 The Junction, Cambridge

10/04/2008

The Northern Bus

Peter missed it, but made up for that later:
Pete Doherty failed to show up for a gig in Manchester last night (October 3). The singer was set to play at The Ritz but pulled out at the final hour.According to the Manchester Evening News he cancelled the show because of "illness". The gig is due to be rescheduled next Wednesday (October 8).Doherty is also set to appear at London Matter next Saturday (October 11). The Babyshambles singer had performed the previous night (October 2) at Hackney Empire after dates in Middlebrough, Coventry and Bournemouth.
(From NME.com).
WARNING: Adrian said the Manc gig will be rescheduled but NOT on the 8th. My bad for believing the NME once again. Sori.
Carlos didn't miss it at all. Setlist :
Wondering - Kicks or Consumption - Doctors and Dealers - Hippy Son - Bloodthirsty Bastards- Playboys - Come Closer - The Enemy - Chinese Dogs - Gentry Cove - Plastic Hearts -You fucking love it -Truth Begins - Deadwood // Blood on my shoes - BURMA - Bang Bang you're dead.
Plus! There's a message from the lovely Drew on FDW. Read on:
"Hello. uh, writing in capitals in the subject area always FEELS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING FOR NO APPARENT REASON doesn't it. yes yes i know i need to get my own log in but i don't even own a computer anymore let alone have the internet so these visits to coffe shops in Finchley don't seem to justify it. now. I'M PLAYING WITH ALBERT HAMMOND JR ON SUNDAY sorry started shouting again there. I'm terribly excited, I've got the weirdest bunch of people to play with me and I'm so giddy i accidentally just skipped into Argos and bought a juicer. Mr "John The Motherfucking Reverend", as he introduces himself as in telephone conversations, will be joining me there and also later that night in the Lock Tavern. is it the Lock Tavern? Good. Yes. um. Come along, dance, drink, laugh. Summers over but we all know Winter's what we do best. Love love Drew x x x x"

10/03/2008

Hackney Empire Circus

Beautiful photo gallery (with review) here.
From NME.com:
Pete Doherty made a dedication to his former Libertines bandmate Carl Barat last night (October 2) at a solo show at the Hackney Empire in London. The singer/guitarist spoke about Barat's band Dirty Pretty Things splitting up. The four-piece, also featuring former Libertine Gary Powell, announced their break-up on Wednesday (September 30)."I'd like to dedicate this song to Carlos Barat," Doherty declared before playing Libertines B-side 'Plan A' acoustically to open his set. "He announced the death of Dirty Pretty Things," he continued. "They're going to see out the tour but after that, that's that." After playing the song Doherty left the stage to make way for a four-piece band that included Wolfman – who Doherty had a UK Top Ten hit with in 2004 with 'For Lovers'. The ensemble played 'Withdrawn And Shaken', 'Darksome Sea', 'Broken Love Song' and the aforementioned 'For Lovers'. The songs were written by Wolfman, although may appear on Doherty's forthcoming solo album. Following the short set Doherty returned to the stage and played a set of songs by Babyshambles, The Libertines, his solo compositions and three covers. He was joined by a plethora of guests. Those who made cameos included his former Pentonville prison cell-mate The General (for 'Pentonville Rough') and singer Dot Allison (for 'Sheepskin Tearaway'). Plenty of uninvited guests made appearances – with fans continuously running on stage before being carted off by security guards. Two particularly enthusiastic female fans caused an interlude by clasping Doherty's arms around them and refusing to budge for a good few minutes, before a security guard managed to prise them off the bemused frontman. Doherty covered The La's 'I Can't Sleep' as well as The Smiths' 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' and closed the show with Dandy Livingstone's 'A Message To You Rudy', famously covered by The Specials on their eponymous 1979 debut album. The gig ended chaotically, with Doherty's friends and associates storming the stage to dance along to the climax. Pete Doherty played:
'Plan A' 'Arcady' 'Harry Was A Champion' 'Killamangiro' 'Sheepskin Tearaway' 'What Katy Did' 'I Can't Sleep' 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' 'All At Sea' 'Can't Stand Me Now' '1939' 'Pentonville Rough' 'La Belle Et La Bette' 'Albion' (with 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun' interlude) 'I Wish' 'Fuck Forever' 'A Message To You Rudy' (with 'Pipedown' and 'Billy Bilo' interludes).
From Gigwise:
Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty's call of “stage invasion” was promptly answered last night as fans clambered around him during a performance in London. Doherty was playing to a sold-out crowd at the Hackney Empire on the final night of his short UK solo tour.Performing acoustically, the singer treated fans to a setlist which spanned his career in the Libertines and Babyshambles. Fans, who had been joining Doherty on stage throughout the gig, almost overwhelmed security towards the end of the set when the singer invited them onstage. But despite fans' best efforts, security were able to restrain the entire audience from breaking onto the stage. One photographer told Gigwise that the photography pit was one of the “scariest I've ever been in”. Last night's gig featured a special appearance from Doherty's friend, The General.

10/02/2008

DPT's The Day After and the Hackney gig


  • Didz speaks!
  • Photo gallery at the NME: The Life and Times of Carl Barat.
  • Poor Carlos: even James Allan turns against him (here).
  • Kirsty and Kirsty are announcing the death of DPT's official site, and the upcoming birth of a new Libertines site, http://www.thelibertinesofficial.com/.
  • Of course, that's got nothing to do with a "possible future reunion of the Libertines" (ha).

    Peter did not comment on his friend's latest adventures. But don't forget the man is playing tonight at the Hackney Empire.
Reminder:
Peter Doherty & Friends
2 October 2008
Venue: Main House
Price(s): £20 (booking fees apply; £3.50 online, £2.50 over the phone)
Peter Doherty returns to enjoy the intimate stage of Hackney Empire for a special one off performance. Bringing a variety of fantastic talent with him, the concert is part of the Hackney Empire Music Programme.
Launched on the day of the concert, an exhibition of Peter Doherty's recent and previously unseen work will be shown in the Hackney Empire Hospitality Room throughout October.

10/01/2008

You're so great

Let's cheer up with our very handsome Peter and Graham Coxon!

Breaking News: DPT split up

Dirty Pretty Things have split up.In an exclusive statement to NME.COM the foursome – Carl Barat, Didz Hammond, Gary Powell and Anthony Rossomando – announced the dissolvement of the band that formed in 2005 following the split of The Libertines. In the statement frontman Carl Barat said that the members of the band would be pursuing new musical projects, but that these would not involve The Libertines." It is with some sadness we announce the farewell of the Dirty Pretty Things," the statement read. "It's been a glorious three years which we all would gladly live out again, but it is time for us to try new things. (not The Libertines). "We are reluctant to give up touring but will give the last waltz everything. We have and are determined to go out as we came in, after which we all have other ventures to be getting on with and splendid future plans."Heartfelt thanks to all who made it what it was, much love and we'll see you on the road."

Carl goes "In the City"

  • From Music Week:
    Dirty Pretty Things’ Carl Barat and Reverend And The Makers’ Jon McClure will join Peter Hook and Steve White on In The City’s Importance Of Being Idols panel next week.
    The two are late additions to the Manchester conference and will sit on the October 6 panel, which will address the dumbing down of the use of the word celebrity and also how to stay creative at the same time.
    Digital expert Ted Cohen, chairman of Tag Strategic, has also been drafted in to lead a discussion group summing up Sunday’s digital theme.
    Finally, music filmmaker extraordinaire Dick Carruthers will be showing exclusive never-before-seen footage from a private Oasis gig he recently shot in front of 100 fans at Black Island Studios.
    Carruthers has also written an exclusive blog for the official In The City website which can be found at http://www.inthecity.co.uk/.
  • Still on the Carlos subject, Dirty Pretty Things played at the Reading University last night, a gig apparently ruined by total lack of promotion and so scarce attendance. But I leave the word to Alicepooh, who was there and wrote another one of her beautiful reports:

It’s probably just as well that Didz Hammond is a Reading boy and was able to direct their van right to the door of the University Students’ Union. It might have been difficult if they’d driven around in as many circles as we did trying to find the venue for tonight’s DPT show. The University isn’t in the town of Reading. It’s outside, and has several campuses. We visited most of them, and it was, in the end, thanks to a helpful University security guy that we managed to find the Union building. Four hours from door to door. Not quite what we’d imagined when we made a last minute decision to go to this gig.
But for all kinds of reasons, I’m really glad we made the effort. Rush hour traffic and loop-the-loops of Reading not withstanding. The Reading University Student Union is a pleasant venue. Modern, with a raised bar area at the back selling ridiculously cheap drinks, it probably holds about 500. When we arrived at about half eight there can’t have been more than about 50 people there. And, although the numbers increased in the hour and a half before DPT came on, the venue remained less than half full. I’d guess at 150-200. ‘It’s Freshers Week, and there’s lots of other things on,’ several people told me, whilst waiting about for things to happen. Lingering in the pleasant outside smoking area, a guy who works at the venue assured me that the place had been equally empty at around nine recently for both The Subways and The Holloways, but that it had been fine when the bands came on. And he was right. Sort of. Certainly the numbers grew during the support act, a pleasant, undemanding, rather generic indie band, and by the time the lights dimmed for DPT about ten there was indeed a cluster of people around the stage. But the venue remained sparsely filled and the consequences of last minute scheduling and lack of publicity was incredibly evident.
If there were things about tonight’s event that brought into question the tactics of DPT’s management, none of them seemed to bleed into the band’s performance. They engaged with the happy, bouncing audience, Carl saluted the girls at the barrier holding a ‘we love you Carl’ sign, and most of all, they gave it the full blast of energy and enthusiasm that makes their performances so wonderful. Playing off each other, they bounded and leapt around the stage and treated us to a set with a great mix of new and old material. As always, dressed for cold climes, Didz shed his scarf after the second song, but retained his jacket. Carl appeared wearing a tightly zipped and buttoned leather jacket (there’s a sight not seen in some time), but did manage to remove it about half way through, revealing a black T shirt, jeans and the still newish looking red converse. Anthony seems to be sticking to the tartan lumberjack look, and Gary, of course, as ever, was topless from the start.
They opened with the now familiar drama of ‘Buzzards and Crows’, and ploughed through twelve songs with few pauses, returning for three more after a cigarette break (gone are the days when we pretend it’s an encore, now it’s recognised for what it is). The set was:
Buzzards and Crows Wondering Doctors and Dealers Hippy’s Son The Enemy Come Closer (for some reason ‘Mother Fucker’ appears in brackets on the set list after this one) Kicks or Consumption Gin and Milk Plastik Hearts Chinese Dogs (labelled Chinese Hearts on the set list) Gentry Cove
Fag Break
Best Face (the set list reads ‘Blood’ but this was obviously changed during the course of the gig) Bang Bang You Fucking Love It
It was great to hear ‘Come Closer’ and ‘Best Face’ again, and the track listing suggests that we’ll get ‘Blood on My Shoes’ at some point on the tour. Hopefully, ‘Truth Begins’ is only temporarily abandoned – presumably due to a need for ongoing tweaking for the synthesizer which has been rigged up as part of the drum kit. Moreover, it was the first time I’d heard ‘Kicks or Consumption’ live, and as I might have anticipated, it works really well, high energy madness fronted by Anthony and Didz. Once again, I was bowled over by what a brilliant live band they really are – and the small crowd obviously loved it.
As we headed home, I hoped that some of the people lurking at the stage door told them how great they were tonight. All the more so because it would be easy to lose energy with such an under-populated venue. I also hoped that someone would take McGee aside and ask him what he’s playing at. I’m sure there’s lots of complex reasons for tonight’s small turn out, but I fail to understand why the fee is adequate compensation for the lack of promotion for this event, and indeed, the whole tour.

  • However, the band has added 4 more dates to the November European tour:
14 november - Köpenhamn, Pumpehuset
15 november - Oslo, Garage
16 november - Stockholm, Debaser Medis
17 november - Malmö, KB