Neil Renton makes the case for big bands playing smaller venues after watching The Libertines intimate show at Glasgow’s Assai Records.
Here’s my theory again. The bigger a band get, the smaller a venue they should play.
Away from the pyrotechnics, big screens and light shows. Down right amongst it where the crowd can see the whites of their heroes blood shot eyes.
Thankfully there’s not an environment just now where an act is thrust right into the spot light and on a massive stage. Everyone has to work their way up. Everyone has to practice and earn respect. Everyone has to gain their stripes.
So wouldn’t it be fun to take that musical act from their pedestal and bring them back down to where it all started. Not in a way to knock them off their perch, more to show they’ve still got that fire within them and it’s not been extinguished by the waters of success.
Which brings us nicely to The Libertines. When all is said and done they’ll go down as one of the most influential indie bands this country has produced. They had that look of the military jackets that made them instantly recognisable. They had a very British way with lyrics, far more clever than they probably got the credit for. And coming from an era when there wasn’t the internet to make overnight successes of us all, they did it the proper way. Small gigs giving them a stupendous reputation.
And it helps that in Pete Doherty and Carl Barat you’ve got two of the the most important figures in modern British music.
So that’s why when it was announced they were playing at Assai Records before they played the Barrowlands the tickets went as quick as fast as they went on sale. One of those pinch yourself moments that you’d get the chance to be up close and personal with the group.
Or that was the plan. As the queue snaked down a sun kissed Glasgow street while the rain threatened to make an appearance it was only Barat who had turned up. Maybe it was going to be a solo show went the chat from punters.
Fear not, later than the two o clock kick off Doherty ambled on stage looking every bit the dressed in a charity shop style icon we’ve fallen in love in. There’s not many people who could pull off a Stewart tartan suit, black adidas trainers, polka dot socks and a QPR football top but that’s out Pete. And for this first song that’s who it was.
Doherty gave us the Babyshambles song ‘Albion’ saying him and Carl had had a disagreement about putting it into the hand written set list. Thankfully for the crowd Pete won the debate and got the show off to a great start.
Would Carl now turn up? He did, looking dapper in a pair of silver snakeskin boots, skin tight jeans and a vest showing off that infamous arm tattoo.
I’ve got another theory. There’s no better sight than seeing musicians go for it. Proper throw caution to the wind go for it. And there’s no better partnership than Doherty and Barat when it comes to them sharing the stage and vocals.
‘Night Of The Hunter’ and ‘Run Run Run’ from latest album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Front’ went down well but it was nothing like the reception the older stuff got.
‘Time For Heroes,’ ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ and ‘Music When The Lights Go Out’ instantly transported you back to the moment you first heard the songs. The Libertines had their dangerous reputation but it didn’t matter when they had a catalogue as good as they have.
The highlight for me was ‘What Katie Did.’ You’d be forgiven for thinking Pete and Carl were too big for this venue, too big for the crowd and too big for their opposite ends of the fashion spectrum shoes but this proved otherwise.
As Doherty strummed along and Barat poured every ounce of his being into the lyrics you could hear a pin drop in the record shop. One of the live highlights of the past few year for me.
It’s the little things that go a long way. Carl keeping an eye on Pete to see what he’ll do next. The banter between the both of them. The fact that they take requests from the crowd for fan favourites to be played.
‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ ended this set before they head over to the Barras for the first of two sold out concerts. Outside as the elements had a bit of a wrestle passers by pushed their faces into the window in disbelief that The Libertines were taking it back to how it all started.
They weren’t the only ones who couldn’t believe what they were witnessing which was Doherty and Barat making sure their legacy gets better and better.
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