Review: The Libertines, O2 Academy

It’s been quite some time since I last caught The Libertines, I was a strong follower of their music when I was in my late teens, I even flew to Dublin to catch them live. After a few years of being out of the loop with their antics, my 18-year-old indie self was thrilled. The Libertines are notorious for their energetic and raucous live shows, walking into the pit of the O2 it was bursting with wannabe indie lads and middle-aged men donned in their Fred Perry shirts.

I cannot find the name of the first support anywhere and my notes are all jumbled as a result of being jostled. With slicked-back hair and acoustic guitar in hand, he sang twee songs which became predictable very quickly. Singing songs of heartbreak and ‘going to the preacher’ to deal with his lover’s blues. It lacked any diversity and wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before at a local open mic night.

Second support of the evening, Zuzu, were incredible and held a real presence. The sass and moodiness of L.A. Witch combined with a dash of Americana which had a real Langkamer vibe. Frontwoman Zuzu was charming and performed with an air of theatricality, her Scouse accent uppercutting through. A cover of Lizzo’s ‘Truth Hurts’ was punchy, and the soaring vocals almost mirroring that of the original. “I wish all my songs sounded like Lizzo” Zuzu laughed. The backing vocals were heavenly, calypso stained riffs all topped off with a mammoth vocal performance from Zuzu.

Walking out to ‘The White Cliffs Of Dover’ by Vera Lynn, Pete, Carl, John and Gary all strutted on stage. Pete and Carl were dressed impeccably, crips shirts, suspenders, blazers and flat caps. Gary opted for a practical tanktop whilst he thrashed his drum kit furiously. Opener ‘Horrorshow’ instantly got mosh pits forming, their overall sound was exactly how I remembered, that recognisable janky guitar sound with an intense rhythm section.

An upright piano stood to the far right, with Carl providing keys on a handful of songs including a brand new one. It was a sombre tune with Pete’s vocals coming to the forefront, seemingly his vocal chords haven’t weathered with age. The song was at its zenith with all three crowding around the piano and harmonising to Carl’s vocals. It was a tender moment and really captured the brotherhood aspect of their relationship.

When Carl and Pete would share the same microphone, it looked natural and not at all gimmicky. Not a great deal was said on stage that night, there were glimpses into their dynamic when eye contact was shared, it felt much more amiable than a band just ‘doing it for the money’.

The vocalising between Carl and Pete was sharp, the two-and-fro lyrics of ‘Music When The Lights Go Out’ still sounded as though they recorded the song yesterday, it’s now in its 15th year. At one point Pete had ditched his guitar and opted to croon to the crowd, leaning on the mic stand like a drunkard, it was as though he was staggering through his own songs at karaoke.

The night was split into two halves, their much bigger hits filled the first half of the set whilst the second half saw much more downtempo and acoustic-driven songs. ‘Good Old Days’ and ‘France’ were delicately delivered, the crowd even managed to keep still and give their full attention to what was unfolding on stage. It was special that’s for sure. John’s strong stature carried a presence, always holding a tight rhythm and rarely giving much indication to whether or not he’s enjoying himself. Concrete as ever, he was the one that grounded everything.

The Libertines are still as sharp as ever, now nearing into their forties (with Gary newly turned 50) they show no signs of slowing down, let the Albion sail on course.

All images by Phil Watson

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