The Libertines to Reunite for One-Off Gig at London’s Hyde Park
A full decade after their breakup, British indie rockers the Libertines are reuniting for a one-off performance on July 5th at London’s Hyde Park, reports NME. The show is part of the Barclaycard British Summer Time concert series, which will also feature the Pogues and Spiritualized as openers.
100 Best Albums of the 2000s: The Libertines, ‘Up the Bracket’
Frontman Pete Doherty revealed the news in a recent interview with Israeli newspaper Ynet. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to even tell you this, but we were offered [the chance] to reform the Libertines for a show this July in Hyde Park,” he said, noting that he then reached out to guitarist/co-founder Carl Barât but “couldn’t reach him.”
“I said yes,” he continued. “The thing is when I think about it now, it was kind of a strange answer because I think in most days if you asked me the same question I would say no.”
Doherty admits that – for him, at least – the reunion was motivated by nostalgia and debt.
“Not long ago I listened to the Libertines’ songs on YouTube and had a burst of nostalgia so I said, ‘What the heck,'” he said. “Then they told me how much they will pay us and, I cannot lie to you, I couldn’t say no, at least not in my state right now.”
Regardless of the motivations, any kind of Libertines reunion seems like a win. Despite rising to international acclaim with their two LPs (2002’s Up the Bracket and 2004’s The Libertines), inter-band turmoil and Doherty’s highly publicized drug addiction (including battles with heroin and crack cocaine) led to their breakup in 2004. The band reunited in 2010, playing two headlining shows at the Reading and Leeds festivals.
Between his various stints in rehab, Doherty continued to front his own band, Babyshambles, and released a solo album, Grace / Wastelands, in 2009. In 2005, Barât formed Dirty Pretty Things, who released two LPs before their own dissolution.