Pipedown

Peter Doherty
Proud, Camden, April 22

I went into my second Doherty Experience with a certain amount of trepidation, given our previous encounter (see: Peter Doherty and the Angry Manager). I was happy to hear that this gig was at Proud, which has the advantage of not being a cave with a fence in front of the stage. Plus the new, improved 'Peter' Doherty, touring in support of Grace/Wastelands, is supposed to be much more professional than his previous incarnations in The Libertines and Babyshambles.

Paddy (possibly the only person I have ever encountered who is as rabid a Libs fan as me) seemed certain that Pete would be on after the ONE (and ONLY! THE ONLY ONE!) opener (I believe they were called The Youves) who were forgettable but inoffensive. I had more doubts, having experienced the carnage that was Daddy and the Good Girls, but Pete in fact arrived by 10:45. I'm currently in the process of nominating this to the church as a miracle. Unlike the last impromptu Babyshambles gig, this set was just Pete and an acoustic guitar for most songs, and very enjoyable. He was also looking quite dapper and healthy, a nice surprise. He kicked off with What a Waster, starting a trend of Libertines songs that continued through the evening.


Pete considers becoming Amish

Set:
What a Waster
The Good Old Days
Arcady
Lady Don't Fall Backward
Delivery
Time for Heroes
Don't Look Back into the Sun
Music When the Lights Go Out
Albion
Last of the English Roses
Merry Go Round
Death on the Stairs
The Ha Ha Wall
For Lovers
1939 Returning

The mix of old and new was nice, although I particularly enjoyed hearing a few more Libertines tracks. When you see Pete alone, the appearance of songs like Music When the Lights Go Out and Radio America in the generally more punk oeuvre of The Libs is clarified. Although Carl is generally acknowledged as the better musician, Pete has a touch for lyrics and emotion that Carl's rock tendencies usually blunt (exceptions like Holly Golightly notwithstanding). For Lovers was fantastic live, as were the new Grace/Wastelands tracks, particularly Last of the English Roses and Arcady. Albion was a favorite, as always, and The Good Old Days (modified in the same way that it appears on Oh, What a Lovely Tour!) was also terrific, although much shorter than the original track.

Former Blur member Graham Coxon made up the "and guests" part of the bill, along with the two random ballerinas that have been appearing on stage during this tour. Coxon's appearance was brief, mostly just to provide some guitar support on Time for Heroes (still not the same without Carl).


Graham Coxon

The nicest surprise of the evening was old b-side The Ha Ha Wall,, and its appearance proved a point about Pete fans. Everyone in the crowd knew every word, something that was true of nearly all the tracks over the course of the evening. I've seen a lot of bands this spring who have new albums, and fans often stand around, looking a little blank, when they play new material live. Overall, Pete's fans knew even his new tracks. This is clearly helped by the fact that a number of them aren't strictly 'new'; his notorious habit of releasing demos for free online made songs like Last of the English Roses old favorites before they appeared on Grace/Wastelands.

The juxtaposition of the two gigs shows exactly why Pete is such a controversial figure; sometimes he infuriates you with his ridiculous antics, other times he is incredibly charismatic, likable, and talented. At least in the UK, his new album and more 'professional' tour seem to be winning him back some respect as an artist. I'm hoping it's a trend that continues.