Pete Doherty should probably be dead; he will likely be remembered for heroin and Supermodels, than for his accomplished gift of songwriting, and that breaks my heart.
Shaun Ryder was Tony Wilson’s modern-day W.B Yeats, and Peter Doherty is mine.
Taking to the stage at Glasgow’s SWG3 on Tuesday, a noticeably rounder, albeit healthier, Doherty looked genuinely delighted to be back on-stage with just his guitar (and later his dog) for company.
The joy of Doherty live is that with a string of bands and solo projects behind him, you can never tell how the setlist is going to take shape. Inevitably, it became an evening of Libertines appreciation with “Can’t Stand Me Now”, “Don’t Look Back Into The Sun”, “I Get Along”, “What A Waster”, “Death On The Stairs”, “What Katie Did” and “The Boys In The Band” all getting an airing, and Doherty, inevitably, giving the people what they really want, even when they come to see him solo. It felt like a misfire that only “Fuck Forever” and “Albion” came from Babyshambles back catalogue, but fans were far from disappointed. Doherty’s own, “Sheepskin Tearaway”, from his debut solo LP, “Grace / Wastelands” was an unexpected, but welcome surprise, accompanied by a soft, lullaby-like singalong from the crowd.
Whether he is with the boys in the band or flying solo, there is no denying the popularity of Peter Doherty; the crowd are always rooting for him, even now when his life is more on the right track than it’s ever been. Doherty is a poetic heart and lyrical genius who is responsible for some of the greatest songs to define our generation … most people just don’t know it.
Review by Siobhanne Beattie
