Doherty's Last Stand?

From NME:

PETE DOHERTY has sparked rumours of a LIBERTINES reunion at CARLING WEEKEND: READING FESTIVAL by playing a secret gig in the town last night.

The band are scheduled to make a Main Stage appearance today without the estranged guitarist, who has been booted out of the band while he attempts to beat his addiction to drugs.

Yesterday (August 27), Doherty arrived in the town, and played a midnight gig with his other band Babyshambles at the Reading Fez Club.

The performance took place at a festival aftershow, attended by around 400 people. The set, which featured songs from Babyshambles forthcoming debut album and Libertines classics including "What Katie Did", ended with a stage invasion, Pete swinging the mic stand in all directions, striking the lights above the stage.

It now remains to be seen if he will attempt a reunion with his old band today at the festival.

NME.COM understands that singer Carl Barat has been in the US, and did not return until late last week, and is rumoured to be spending part of the day in the studio.

A source close to the band told NME.COM: "Who knows what will happen if they see each other. They'll either hug, or fight. Only time will tell."

The setlist ran:

• 'The Man Who Came To Stay'
• 'Do You Know Me?'
• 'In Love With The Feeling'
• 'Fuck Forever'
• 'Albion'
• 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun'
• 'Sheepskin Tearaway'
• 'Sweetest Girl'
• 'Time For Heroes'
• 'I Wanna Break Your Heart'
• 'Babyshambles'
• 'Killamangiro'
• 'Black Boy Lane'
• 'Wolfman'

The Libertines are due on stage at 7pm. Click back to see the first report and pictures later.

Trying To Escape From The Underclass

Babyshambles, who rumor has it have just signed to Rough Trade, will release another single soon. Here are the details:

1 Killamangiro
2 Black Boy Lane
3 Do You Know Me (I Don't Think So)

Release Date: October 1st

Also, "What Became Of The Likely Lads" will be released as a single, also in October. This is rumored to be the last proper Libertines release for some time. Could these two developments spell the true end of the band?



For some insight, why not download the recent Radio One documentary here. (MP3 a timeforheroes.net exclusive!)

More reviews of the new album:
Rolling Stone
The Guardian (thanks Matt)

"Pikey Cunt"

Pete attacked/run over in London?:

This was the scene then: Ice and I at peace with the world and we share a cigarette as we stroll in a delerious arcadian harmony with the otherworldly classically trained cracks in the pavementy that mark A fella in a baseball \cap and Irish accent engages us in a tabloid exchange - calls me a crackhead and says he 's gonna break my nose and stick a knife in my kneck. He just flares up over nothing and all horror breaks out of guarded cage , darkness i the d wns shockedtempered sunlight.
he's from the nearby travellers site and is not going back to thje fold until he's damaged me. I try to get across the road but get hit (not hard) by a car, he boots me full in the head while I am on the floor and punches me a few times or so full in the bilo face. My ears are throbbing \like the proverbial flappers of Albion I am ready to perform. But he grabs my feet and drags me back into the road. Fuckin hell. I scramble witless to my feet and stop the nearest car, get in and scream 'get the fuck out of here (mush)'

No No No, Yeah Yeah Yeah

Carl In The Mirror:
"Of course I've tried crack," he admits. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to talk about it. It's like inhaling a burning bin bag then having a 15-minute panic attack."


Pete In The Guardian (Court Appearance):
"If the law was to send me to prison it wouldn't be able to look itself in the eye."

Hear The New Album: NME

And in other news, "Can't Stand Me Now" entered the UK singles chart at #2. Cheers!

(Flick)Knives Out

Pete In Court Again (NME):

LIBERTINES guitarist PETE DOHERTY has been warned he could face jail after pleading guilty to possession of a knife. Doherty made an appearance at Thames Magistrates Court (August 17), where he was facing a charge of possession of an offensive weapon. Inside court, Pete appeared in the dock dressed in a grey suit. The court heard that the alleged incident occurred on June 18, on Hackney Road, London E2 at 12.07am. The prosecuter claimed that Pete was in a public place and without lawful authority, carrying a flick knife, which is an offensive weapon. He was driving a motor vehicle and seen to overtake, when he was stopped by police. Police decided to search the car, where they said they found the knife with a 10cm blade in the right front pocket of his jeans.Speaking in his defence, Brazell said that Pete was interviewed by the road side where he said he'd come back into the country 12 hours earlier, and the knife was purchased lawfully while on holiday. He said that Pete had broken the tip off the knife, so it wasn’t sharp, and when interviewed claimed that it was "not dangerous".

Speaking about Pete the lawyer described him as a "peaceful man" without a history of violence, who had been cooperative throughout. Following the hearing, Doherty has been told he has to meet his probation officer on September 1, and there will a court hearing the same day. A report will be heard and it will then be decided on what happens next. However, one of the Magistrates said that a custodial sentence couldn't be ruled out.

Andrew Kendall Has Pics:

Time For Updates

Exclusive Carl acoustic performances from Rolling Stone:



Pete Article In The Independent:

Doherty describes his childhood as strict and lonely. "I had no choice really but to disappear into myself, just veering between old, flickery episodes of Rising Damp, Tony Hancock radio shows, Emily Dickinson, flowers and QPR."

Observer Review by John Harris:

If Doherty's troubles form the album's plot, they're also its apparent undoing. In keeping with the abiding sense that it's been left unfinished, it has some of the worst guitar solos ever put to tape, distractedly mumbled vocals, and songs that promise much, only to flop into aimless underachievement. The band's sense of careening power - their ability to somehow encapsulate the condition of being ragingly drunk - only occasionally appears. Tellingly, its most convincing manifestation is in 'Narcissist', sung by Barat alone.


Pete's "Denial Band" Hits The Road (NME):
The band--currently featuring Doherty alongside Patrick Walden (guitar), Drew McConnell (bass) and Gemma Clarke (drums)--are also planning a new single, 'Kilimanjaro'.

The dates are:

• Brighton Concorde 2 (September 16)
• Portsmouth University (17)
• Cardiff University (18)
• Frome Cheese and Grain (19)
• Liverpool Masque (20)
• Leeds Cockpit (22)
• Nottingham Rescue Rooms (23)
• Leicester Charlotte (24)
• Norwich Waterfront (26)
• Birmingham Medicine Bar (27)
• Newcastle University (28)
• Aberdeen Lemon Tree (29)
• Dundee Reading Rooms (30)
• Edinburgh Venue (October 2)
• Glasgow Barfly (3)
• Stoke The Underground (4)
• Shrewsbury Music Hall (5)
• London Scala (6)

In other news, Pete issued a nasty message to the rest of the band on Babyshambles. So nasty, in fact, that we won't repeat it here. For the curious, the unedited post is here.

"She Wishes"

Carl talks to Launch:
It's 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon in London and most people are at work. Not Carl Barat. Rock'n'roll is still asleep. LAUNCH woke up half of The Libertines' revered songwriting partnership to find out what's happening in one of the UK's biggest bands and if there is any future for the group without their drug-ravaged, damaged genius and Barat's partner-in-crime, Peter Doherty...

LAUNCH: The album was originally going to be produced by Bernard Butler. What happened?

CARL BARAT: "We didn't use any of the stuff we did with Bernard. We did a couple of things with Bernard but it wasn't happening. He didn't get on with Peter. "

You didn't have similar problems with Mick Jones (who produced the record)?

"No, Mick gets on well with everyone. Bernard and Peter are both a bit highly strung."

What sort of vibe do you get from Mick?

"A lot of a vibe, basically. That's all you get from him, he's one of the boys, a natural. He fits in and has a lot of love for what we do and he really understands. He's like Albert from "Only Fools And Horses" with his stories…"

When did you start on the record?

"I can't remember man. We did ten days altogether in June I guess. We have no conception of time or punctuality."

Was it hard work?

"It was murder. I can't believe it got made to be honest with you."

Where there day to day problems?

"It took two months to get ten live days done. It was all over the place, Two days here and three days there. Every time we went in wondering if everyone was going to turn up."

Was much of the record written before you went into the studio?

"Not really. Nothing was decided. It was all pretty hodgepodge. We had a few ideas. A couple of the tracks were already written."

How significant was Peter's involvement in the songwriting?

"As significant as on the first album…"

What is "The Man Who Would Be King" about?

"Have you seen the film of the same name - Sean Connery and Michael Caine are in it? It's about friendship, you know. It's set in the colonial Empire. You should see it, man."

What is it that Katie did?

"You don't even want to know..."

Is the Katie suggested in the press the right subject?

"She wishes..."

Uh Oh

NME Reports:

LIBERTINES guitarist PETE DOHERTY has failed to turn up for a court appearance this morning.

Doherty was due to make an appearance at Thames Magistrates Court this morning (August 10), where he's facing a charge of possession of an offensive weapon.

A spokesperson for the singer told NME.COM: "Unfortunately Pete was unable to turn up for court today, he has a severe case of gastroenteritis. The case has been postponed for a week."

Carl In The Independent

Carl speaks:

The reason for the insecurity guards, however, is less to do with fending off legions of over-eager fans than it is to do with protecting The Libertines from themselves. Doherty, who is 24, is currently barred from the band pending his overcoming an addiction to heroin and crack cocaine. Barat, Hassall and Powell had spent the week prior to T In The Park rehearsing with a stand-in guitarist somewhere near Box in Wiltshire. The location was secret lest the erratic Doherty take it upon himself to turn up; the heavies at T In The Park were said to be reinforcing this protective cordon around the band.

Barat must have had a sense of déjà vu: a year ago The Libertines were forced to play a round of festivals without the troubled Doherty.

"I know, I know," sighed Barat, 25, as he and his beefy posse walked to The Libertines' Portakabin dressing-room. "Doesn't make it any easier though. Pete's into festivals, but he's not very well at the moment. It would be nice to have him here, but there's no point in compounding his illness by accepting it."

Is being in The Libertines bad for Pete's health?

"No, taking smack and crack is bad for his health."

Libertines In The U S of A!

Check out the tour dates, with American stops other than LA and NY!:

The Libertines
Thu	08/19/04		West Hollywood, CA		The Troubadour
appearing with "Reading Festival"
Sat	08/28/04		Reading, UK		Richfield Avenue
appearing with "Leeds Festival"
Sun	08/29/04		Leeds, UK		Bramham Park
The Libertines
Mon	09/27/04		Vancouver, BC		Richard's On Richards
Tue	09/28/04		Portland, OR		Dante's
Wed	09/29/04		Seattle, WA		Neumo's
Fri	10/01/04		San Francisco, CA		The Fillmore
Sat	10/02/04		Los Angeles, CA		Henry Fonda Theatre
Sun	10/03/04		San Diego, CA		Mira Mesa Epicentre
Wed	10/06/04		Denver, CO		Larimer Lounge
Sat	10/09/04		Chicago, IL		Metro / Smart Bar
Sun	10/10/04		Detroit, MI		Magic Stick
Tue	10/12/04		New York, NY		Webster Hall
Fri	10/15/04		Toronto, ON		Opera House
Sat	10/16/04		Montreal, QC		La Tulipe
Sun	10/17/04		Philadelphia, PA		Theatre Of Living Arts
Mon	10/18/04		Boston, MA		Paradise Rock Club
Thu	10/21/04		Atlanta, GA		Echo Lounge
Fri	10/22/04		Orlando, FL		The Social

Articulate As Ever

Pete sits down and talks to BBC6 after the recent gig in his flat

I'm So Sorry

Pete Apologizes (Sort Of):

PETER DOHERTY has issued an apology for not turning up to a gig last night (August 2) in LONDON. With the rest of the band touring in the Far East, Pete, out of the band because of his drug problems, has been touring the UK alone. The singer was due to appear at the London Camden Barfly last night. However, as the evening progressed, it became clear that something was wrong and by 11.30pm fans were told Doherty wasn’t going to make it to the show. The star has issued a statement to NME.COM this evening explaining his actions. In part, it reads: "Pete Doherty would like to apologise to everyone who turned up to The Barfly in Camden last night (Monday the 2nd of August). "Pete turned up at the venue at 11pm with his guitar tech and encountered problems at the door. A doorman refused to let the tech in and…a number of fans who had gathered at the entrance." Pete said: "We have played at venues up and down the country on this tour, some of which had no security, and have encountered no problems. I simply asked the bouncer last night to apologise for his behaviour, and he refused. I was very upset at his attitude and…I'm very sorry for letting everyone down."

But then, on Babyshambles:
well hello everyone.. you certainly find out who you your friends are in times of trouble, and right now it's clear their are many who just can't wait for me to fail and appear a flaky junky, unreliable and fucked up on drugs. The fact is that there was no way in heaven or hell I could have played the barfly gig after the bullying and bastardly dastardly bouncer done what he did. Throwing his weight around for no other reason than that he could. If this website wasnae so slow in uploading downloads then I'd put up the frontline video footage that Anne took at the time and you could all see what went down. I apologize to all those who lost out, but given some of the reactions, I'm glad that a few of you have been inconvenienced. In fact, I'll eek out all of the gits until I can be sure I'm playing to a crowd who trust me, beleive in me , and don't turn on me at the first chance they get. You want clockwork, amoral live music? There's plenty of that about. What I did I did for you.. and the response is quite heartbreaking.
Friday's barfly gig goes ahead on the promise that bullyboy won't be present, and we're gonna do a special gig at the great eastern hotel beachparty for those with ticket stubs from mondays fiasco.
The tour continues apace though, and I'll see you in Bristol/ Shrewsbury as planned. bonjour. peterx

Still Not Dirty Enough For You My Love

Pete Retracts His Offer:

the open letter to the libertines fell down well i took it down coz in their reply the boys that had me out the band says not to 'embarrass ' meself with 'offal pies for the pete club internet freaks to get fat '
apart from that all is well. I spoke to Alan Magee for the first time in a month, and have located my guitar - they've taken it to Japan it seems, to play fugi rock and then australia with my stand-in. Quite confused and for a moment lost or deranged this feeling a strange thing not keeping in with the glorious sun and the current mood of stabilization, inspiration and sharpening up. more akin to the despair and jolts into juvenile exclamation
they always tell me when they've left so as I can't stowaway. I've got the solo from tomblands down to a tee though.

Pete In The Evening Standard

Pete Still In Tabloid Hell:

'I don't want to turn into Peter Libertine Rehab King'

The flat is a pleasant, airy space in Clerkenwell's Exmouth Market, conspicuously bereft of bloody needles or scenes from Trainspotting. A pale, thin, but relatively healthy Pete Doherty--formerly Libertine and currently Britain's most infamous rock star--is talking, with great articulacy, about how music should mean far more than drugs, while continually smoking crack and smack in front of me.
We are in his bedroom, which contains nothing more sinister than a bed, an electric guitar, a sofa, and two members (guitarist Patrick Walden and drummer Jemma Clarke) of his new band, Babyshambles. Doherty is expounding on his past, his future ad the drug addiction that has had him thrown out of The Libertines by his co-frontman and best friend, Carl Barat.

"All I can do is assure them that, in the past year, I've calmed down a lot. I don't inject any more. But I know the only solution is to knock crack and heroin on the head completely before they knock me on the head. And that's the plan. I'm gonna have a go at Detox Five. They knock you out for a few days so you go through the withdrawal when you're sleeping."

"I don't want to go to America for 10 months to promote the new album. Carl does. Carl wants to sell a million records. Good luck to him. But I can't accept that he's gonna call himself The Libertines and sing my songs."