‘Giddy Up A Ding Dong’ be fucked, ‘we have lift off’ might have been a more apt title for tonight such was the gale blowing around South Wales. This rearranged fixture comes after the original pre-Christmas Tour hit Covid buffers. Tonight it was the turn of Storm Eunice to try to derail this sold-out show but unperturbed, the ‘Giddy Up A Ding Dong’ tour rolls into town thankfully without further incidents or act of God.

Tonight the bill was bolstered by the inclusion of Gary’s newly signed band Dead Freights which was my first introduction to this lively south coast band, it was also another chance to see Local(ish) members of the Libs extended family the wonderful Trampolene.

Dead Freights took to the stage bang on time and proceeded to knock out a very impressive thirty minutes of sharp, loud indie rock with an emphasis on the loud and the rock. Frontman Charlie looked confident with his fringe and skinny jeans as he thumped out the chords to the band’s post-punk, indie rock tunes that had plenty of punch in the rhythm section and some nice choppy guitars to complement that aggressive style. The highlights were ‘Kill Your Man’, ‘Girlfriend Experience’ and the sharp ‘Bat Man’ which mixed up the caped crusader’s riff into the song’s frantic and snarling delivery – excellent tune. A true story that’s every bit as menacing as the story suggests. I was impressed with an excellent starter from this evening’s entertainment and await to hear more from this fledgling south coast band who have recently signed to Gary Powell’s label.

Next up are a band I’ve championed for a while. Trampolene were in fact the first band I was lucky enough to see when we emerged into the new world post-Covid. Trampolene have a brand new album ‘Love No Less Than A Queen’ under their belt.

I’ve always found the band’s live shows to be a sprawling, exciting, bundle of energy from start to finish. Always entertaining and never dull. Whilst they nail the music side of it they have also oozed that “by the seat of our pants” energy that bands need. Stand or fall – they’ll go down having the time of their lives and as previous shows have proven they throw every ounce of energy into their performances be it in a tiny club or on the larger Uni circuit or in an arena.

Tonight was going to be special seeing as the band hail (as I do) from 40 miles down the M4 and aren’t exactly welcome in certain parts of this town, as a result of the superior sporting achievements (obviously) in the last decade. Jack embraces the jovial abuse of ‘You Jack Bastard’ and runs with it, grinning like a Cheshire cat it adds fuel to the fire. As the band get straight on with business ‘It’s Not Rock and Roll’ punches a huge riff-sized hole in the Great Hall air, and get down to the serious job of showing this audience exactly what they have in their locker.

The swelling audience is then treated to some of the stand-out tracks off the new ‘Love No Less’ album mixed with older ones as ‘Adrenaline’ and the grungy ‘Oh Lover’ whip up the audience before Jack introduces the fantastic ‘Beautiful Pain’. The trio totally locked in and took the audience with them on their energetic journey. They tap into the energy of the audience throughout the set that saw their thirty minutes fly by ending with a frenzied ‘Alcohol Kiss’. Jack, Wayne and Kyle take a thoroughly deserved ovation from the appreciative audience who put rivalries aside Cardiff knows a good band when they see one, and once again the Great Hall has a new Welsh band to champion. Trampolene moves on to their biggest headline show this coming Friday as they open the brand new 3,500 capacity Swansea Arena and this has been the perfect warm-up for both tonight’s headliners and their own big night next Frieday.

On this evidence, it won’t be long before they themselves are headlining the Universities of the UK and beyond. Get in there you jack bastards its been emotional.

With the packed out, Great Hall now nicely warmed up – the intro tape of ‘Get Down On It’ is fired up. Onto the stage strides the likely lads – with a spring in their step they take to the stage with some Only Fools and Horses dialogue only for it to be drowned out as the Great Hall hoards roar as ‘What A Waster’ signals the whole auditorium to move like an ocean in a storm. Pure pandamonium. The buzz is maintained throughout ‘The Ha Ha Wall’ and ‘Up The Bracket’ before a chance to catch one’s breath as the brilliant ‘Gunga Din’ plays out and the interplay on the vocals is still spine-tingling and majestic.

Docherty and Barat still have that special energy (that X-Factor if you like) as they collide into one another, but these days it’s more like an inspiring bump, a wink, and a nod rather than previously being a kick up the arse or a sly dig. The tension is less spikey and more an appreciation to each other for what they bring to the music of The Libertines and the stage. Maybe it’s an age thing or now it’s the music that is doing all the talking and not any “off-field” dramas being blown out of proportion and spiraling out of control. The Libertines have been there, done it and bought the T-Shirt but have now moved on. Thank God they’ve been drawn back into each other’s orbit like moths to a flame, knowing that when the four are on a stage it’s different, it’s certainly special and unfinished business awaits. They can do the side projects as well (most welcome they are too) but this band and these songs are special.

By the time the band breaks it down for the more laid-back task of ‘What Kate Did’ followed by the outstanding ‘You’re My Waterloo’ it’s shaping up to be one hell of a performance and setlist. Carl took to the piano stool whilst Pete handled the acoustic guitar until the solo when Carl picked up the Les Paul JR laid his emotional lick out there before signing off the piano part. The highlight of the setlist so far.

With only three albums in neigh on twenty Years they can pretty much fill a ninety-minute set with all killer and no filler and tonight the spread of songs was superb helping the set flow magnificently.

‘Boys In The Band’, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ had the audience providing vocal harmonies that were clearly having an impact on stage. If I’m correct it was Fifteen songs played before the encore that raised the bar further (if that was even possible).

‘The Delaney’ became something of a new years eve late night sing-a-long before the band rattled out an epic ‘Fame And Fortune’, ‘Death On the Stairs’, ‘Don’tLook Back Into The Sun’ and finally closing a spectacular night with ‘Time For Heroes’ and we then shuffled out into the cold, wet and blustery Cardiff night having witnessed a fantastic night of live music. It felt great to be back out there and see fledgling openers introduce themselves, super confident support with a whole pocketful of excellent songs, and a master class in headlining from one of the best bands Britain has to offer.

If you are thinking about taking in one of this summer’s outdoor shows – my advice is don’t hesitate to get on it. The line-ups will be excellent and on tonight’s setlist and performance The Libertines will more than impress. Energy, enthusiasm, and above all fantastic songs. Now, how about a new album? Pretty please.

Author: Dom Daley

The Libertines are tickled to finally unveil the ‘First Phase’ of ‘The Albion Rooms’, their vision to convert a five-story ten-room Victorian building overlooking the sea in Margate into a den of artistry (and occasional iniquity), with the opening of two bars and a recording studio at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 31st.
The downstairs bar is ‘The Waste Land,’(as in the T.S Eliot poem, written two doors down from ‘The Albion Rooms,’ whilst Eliot was recuperating from a nervous breakdown), will be open to the public all year round. ‘The Waste Land’ will be a home for international and local artists to perform poetry / live music and exhibit art. The Upstairs bar will initially be open to the public before becoming a private bar and lounge space for the studio and residents. For the first month both bars will only be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The state of the art recording studio is available for viewing and bookings.
The Libertines acquired the keys to the ‘Albion Rooms,’ 31 Eastern Esplanade Margate CT9 2HL, in September 2017. Carl Barât “it might be a while before we challenge The Savoy or The Grand Budapest in the hotel stakes, but we’ve put a lot of love into this. Meanwhile, it’s a colourful and inspiring home for the Libertines and I look forward to the Albion Rooms becoming our very own Warholian Factory.”
The ‘Second Phase,’ the opening of ‘The Albion Rooms’ hotel and restaurant, is scheduled for early 2020 and will feature seven individually decorated rooms, including rooms themed by each member of The Libertines. The restaurant will feature local and guest chefs from across the globe to create distinctive and unique eating opportunities. Once completed ‘The Albion Rooms’ will be utilised as a functioning guest house, installation art space and residential studio. 
Carl Barât and Peter Doherty play two sold-out acoustic shows at London’s Hackney Empire on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th September, as part of Somewhere Festival.  The Libertines also play the following shows in the UK and Europe this autumn and winter:
OCTOBER
27th Sunday Paris Olympia
28th Monday Zurich X-Tra
NOVEMBER
2nd Saturday Cologne Carlswerk SOLD OUT
4th Monday Munich Tonhalle
5th Tuesday Berlin Columbiahalle
17th Sunday Luxembourg Den Atelier
18th Monday Brussels Cirque Royale
20th Wednesday Utrecht Tivoli Vrendenburg
21st ThursdayUtrechtTivoli Vredenburg
DECEMBER
3rd Tuesday Bournemouth  O2 Academy
4th Wednesday Leeds  O2 Academy  SOLD OUT
6th Friday     Dundee  Caird Hall  SOLD OUT
7th Saturday Glasgow  Barrowland Ballroom  SOLD OUT
8th Sunday Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom  SOLD OUT
10th Tuesday   Manchester  O2 Victoria Warehouse  SOLD OUT
11th Wednesday Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse
12th Thursday  Nottingham  Rock City  SOLD OUT
14th Saturday Birmingham  O2 Academy  SOLD OUT
15th Sunday Birmingham O2 Academy
16th Monday    Bristol  O2 Academy  SOLD OUT
18th Wednesday London  O2 Academy Brixton  SOLD OUT
19th Thursday London O2 Academy Brixton
THE LIBERTINES 
9 UK SHOWS IN DECEMBER
+
France/Germany/Luxembourg/Belgium/Netherlands
(OCTOBER & NOVEMBER)
The Libertines are very happy to announce a nine-date Christmas jaunt across the UK in December, along with shows in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Brussels and The Netherlands in October and November. Tickets, for what is The Libertines first headline tour in over two years, go on sale at 9:00 am on Friday 28th June and are available from www.gigsandtours.com & www.ticketmaster.co.uk  The full dates are:
OCTOBER
27th Sunday Paris Olympia
NOVEMBER
2nd Saturday Cologne Carlswerk
4th Monday Munich Tonhalle
5th Tuesday Berlin Columbiahalle
17th Sunday Luxembourg Den Atelier
18th Monday Brussels Cirque Royale
20th Wednesday Utrecht Tivoli Vrendenburg
21st ThursdayUtrechtTivoli Vredenburg
DECEMBER
3rd Tuesday Bournemouth  O2 Academy
4th Wednesday Leeds  O2 Academy
6th Friday        Dundee  Caird Hall
7th Saturday Glasgow  Barrowland Ballroom
10th Tuesday      Manchester  O2 Victoria Warehouse
12th Thursday     Nottingham  Rock City
14th Saturday     Birmingham  O2 Academy
16th Monday      Bristol  O2 Academy
18th Wednesday    London  O2 Academy Brixton
The Libertines bar ‘The Waste Land’ and recording studio, at‘The Albion Rooms’ in Margate, open on the 16th August. More details on the opening celebrations of the bar and studio to follow shortly.

As previously announced Peter Doherty and Carl Barât play two acoustic shows at London’s Hackney Empire on Thursday 5th September and Friday 6th September, as part of Somewhere Festival, which sold-out within minutes of going on sale.

Peter Doherty recently released his acclaimed new album ‘Peter Doherty &  The Puta Madres’ and toured the UK and Europe. Carl Barât latterly returned from a sold-out tour of the far East. The Libertines are currently working on their fourth album, the followup to the No.3 UK charting album ’Anthems For Doomed Youth’ (2015), which spawned the hits ‘Gunga Din,’ ‘Heart Of The Matter’ and ‘You’re My Waterloo.’

????Sinners and Revellers???? Bringing you Sundays headliners, Deaf Havana! Joining Camden Rocks for their first ever London festival headline! Also announced are rising stars Our Hollow, Our Home, Britpop veterans Hurricane#1, breakout indie trio GLASS PEAKSThe Lottery WinnersRed Rum ClubSworn AmongstOrchardsKOYO and more!

For more artists just announced and to explore festival playlists ➡️ www.camdenrocksfestival.com

They join already announced Frank Turner, Ash, The Wonder StuffRAT BOYNew Model Army,WheatusCarl BarâtGinger WildheartThe Professionals.Angelic UpstartsMILK TEETH,Richie RamonePretty ViciousRaging Speedhorn,Random HandDischargeEliza and the BearThe VirginmarysArea 11Sonic Boom SixChamberlain,The Last Internationale[spunge]BANG BANG ROMEOLOTUS EATERRews and hundreds more of the best in live music across indie, rock, punk and metal ????

Day and weekend tickets available from £40 (subject to booking fees) ➡️ www.camdenrocksfestival.com

Camden Rocks Festival 2019
1st & 2nd June
The next wave of artists for Camden Rocks Festival 2019 is here! The multi-talented punk and folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner is joined by hitmakers The Wonder Stuff, Random Hand, Discharge, Richie Ramone, The Professionals, Eliza And The Bear, Sonic Boom Six, Area 11, Spunge, Shvpes and ninety other phenomenal bands across indie, rock, punk and metal announced.

They join the first wave of acts that includes Ash, Ratboy, New Model Army, Wheatus, Carl Barat, Ginger Wildheart, Milkteeth, Pretty Vicious, Raging Speedhorn, Angelic Upstarts, The Virginmarys, The Last Internationale, Bang Bang Romeo, Rews and many more.

This year Camden Rocks Festival is a two day event for the first time! Bringing you 400 artists across twenty grassroot venues in Camden Town.

Get out your microscopes and open up a spreadsheet to map out your days.  If you were to ask us here obviously the star attractions of The Wonderstuff and Ash will have their fans but watching The Hip Priests, The Spangles or Rich Ragany & The Digressions is where the gold dust is.  We’ll be doing our bit on the run-up to the event when we know venues and band times and let you know where we’ll be heading.

Tickets