The Libertines - London Brixton Academy - 6/3/04
5/5
By: Cat Goodwin
The Libertines are a band obsessed with the idea of tomorrow. It's no surprise that their anthem to anti-nostalgia 'Don't Look Back Into the Sun' has been their biggest hit to date, since all the best Libertines' songs are full of references to 'tomorrow' ('lists of things we said we'd do tomorrow'; 'save me from tomorrow') - even 'don't bang on about yesterday' gets a mention in 'Death on the Stairs'. It's a sweet irony then that for a band dogged by their past - the burglary, the drug-addiction, the fights, the scars - The Libertines have always looked lovingly forward.
But we bet they didn't see this coming. The second show of a sold-out three nights at a 4,500-capacity mini-arena, and the eerie emptiness of the streets of Brixton is quickly dispelled when you realise that everyone has packed themselves into the Academy. And just when did The Libertines become so big that you could overhear strangers discussing whether they prefer Pete or Carl? Obviously, you couldn't choose between them, when every moment onstage is a mini-show in itself between the two front-men. When Pete throws over his mike stand, strolls over to Carl's and uses his instead. When Carl walks away. When they both stamp the same foot in time, cutely unaware. When Pete messes up and Carl hugs him. When girls throw roses.
This is a band that could turn the purest heart into an overflowing ashtray and make a vegan wear leather. Equally, these are songs that could inspire a generation. The frenetic rebellion of 'Skag & Boneman', the anthemic stomp of 'Don't Look Back...' and the sheer poetry of 'What A Waster' - 'When she wakes up in the morning/She writes down all her dreams/Reads like the Book of Revelations/ Or the Beano, or the unabridged Ulysses'. These are the lyrics of a dirty angel made good, and the sound of pure rebellion. During 'Up The Bracket', two-fingered salutes rain down from the balcony. In 'I Get Along' every kid screams, 'F**k 'em.'
These are dreamers, and in their songs lie the suggestions of endless possibilities about the soon-to-come. Yet, somehow, The Libertines seem to play every gig as if it was their last. The next night, Pete will smash a guitar, kick over some amps and leave the band for all of two songs. He will come back, apologise to the crowd and sing 'The Good Old Days', smiling.
And about tomorrow? Well, tomorrow night's the next gig, probably at the Dog and Bugle, 'round the corner from your Nan's house. Try and make it if you can. You just don't know what might happen after that.
Photo-Credit: Patricia L Brown (From the 333 Club, '02)
Artists in this article: The Libertines
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment