When it comes to Pete Doherty you can accuse him of being some things… but predictable isn’t one of them.
The fans, who were expecting a late arrival or even a no-show of the trilby-wearing singer, were in for a surprise when the band took to the stage on time.
This wasn’t the whimsical acoustic-playing Doherty which we’ve seen since his 2009 release of Grace/Wastelands either.
Looking younger and more dapper than he has in years he said a quick “Evenin’ all” then launched the crowd straight into an energetic performance of Delivery.
From then the atmosphere subdued slightly but never fell flat during the new single Nothing Comes to Nothing, followed by The Blinding.
The energy of the crowd lifted again during punk song Fireman, calling to mind early Sex Pistols material.
Ecstatic fans screamed for their ‘hero’ Pete and the crowd surged forward when opening bars of hit anthems Killamangiro and Pipedown started.
The highlight of the night was unsurprisingly the raucous encore of F*** Forever and when the lights came up fans looked dazed, hoping for more, before ambling towards the exit.
Notably, for the first time from seeing the ‘Shambles, there was no mention in the crowd of the good old days or Doherty’s ex songwriting partner Carl Barat.
Doherty et al have shown they have finally moved out of the shadow of the Libertines. It wasn’t a long set but it definitely didn’t disappoint.
Image courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks
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