The time rolls closer for the supposed August reunion of The Libertines, who haven’t performed together since 2004 (when Pete Doherty decided that he loved heroin more than he loved showing up for gigs). As a result, the media buildup has commenced in earnest, and drummer Gary Powell (the one that Pete’s son, Astile, refers to as “Daddy”) claims that the band will unveil a “new image” for their scheduled reunion concert before forging onto the Reading and Leeds Festivals:
It will be weird to go back but if we try to replicate how things used to be it won’t work. We’ve got to bring a new dynamic for the kids who haven’t seen us before. I never got why we were fashionable in the first place. It never made sense to me why The Libertines were so big but it’s all about the character – Pete and Carl are unique.
However, fans should be warned not to get their hopes up too high, because co-frontman Carl Barat not only admits that band hasn’t been steadily practicing and, in fact, it’s been months since he was in the same room with Pete, who recently skipped out on a Libertines meetup:
(The band) met for a drink recently, but Pete wasn’t there because he was in Crewe or somewhere,” the singer and guitarist said. “I’ve emailed Pete but he doesn’t do his emails. We’ve had a few chats, but we’re both really busy, funnily enough. So we’ve got a few weeks blocked out to have a proper social and get the rehearsals done as well.
Well, Carl should be used to the fact that Pete ignores his own bandmates on a regular basis, which is one reason why Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek left that band. Ficek explains that he’d fallen into a “dark” and “miserable” depression as a result of flatlining communications between Doherty and the rest of the band:
To be honest with you, there is a lot of confusion. I don’t really know what is happening (with the group). I haven’t spoken to Pete since March.
In other words, Barat and Powell shouldn’t be terribly surprised if Pete never shows up for those twenty days of planned rehearsal before The Libertines’ scheduled performances. Hell, he’ll probably expect the band to practice without him and just roll into the concert venues an hour late and start to play. Still, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, for perhaps the bloke is just off working on his “new image” by putting together some shiny spandex outfits. Get ready mates, for this is bound to be one bloody disastrous reunion.
