Carl Barat’s almost reformed Libertines draw quite a crowd but I’m not sure if it’s the music or the sun. As they take to the stage they have an aura of untogetherness of unwashed sweaty clothes and yet their music isn’t shambolic it’s very on the money. Much like the original band which propelled them to fame much more than the frontman from those days who wallowed in the tabloids.
The first ten rows of the crowd all along the wide barrier are bouncing to the on form tunes. They are less crowd friendly than the band who graced the stage before them (The Kooks) but I feel they’re more accomplished musicians with a good ear for catchy hooks and crashing riffs.
Tunes from the debut album ‘Waterloo to Anywhere’ flow fast as Carl smokes a fag, creates huge riffs and sings into a mic while swayin’ – oh it’s classic wasted rock frontman. At times they sound almost as good as The Clash – which sure takes me by surprise I was expecting style over substance.
Their drummer Gary Powell is an incredible dynamo of fills, and this sounds like classic punk rock and they sound like they are a band with something about them. ‘Bang Bang You’re Dead’ is a monster finale. Carl thanks us and leaves us to continue to have “A nice picnic in the sun!”
I’m impressed, whether they can return again to the dizzy heights of The Libertines or eclipse them I don't know, but of the bands around them in music today I think few come close.
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Isle of Wight Festival 
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