So were The Libertines really worth it after all?

[lucastang]

http://www.metro.co.uk/music/855258-the-libertines-set-to-play-glastonbury-2011

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-libertines-to-play-glastonbury-2211599.html

I'll be honest, they cost more than a million quid to play, and I don't reckon they were worth it. Was Melvin Been being naive really thinking they were a one-off?

[Vieuphoria]

Yes they were.

[lucastang]

Yes they were.

[mrtourette]

I doubt he thought it would be a one-off, they were always going to reform and I guess he paid to get them first and exclusively last year.

[jump]

They were always planning on getting back together this year and FR just talked them into doing it a year earlier for R&L.

[Vacant0]

Already been said but I really doubt he thought it was going to be a one off. The point was that he got them first.

[Englishdragon]

I thought they were terribly boring and I left about 40 minutes into the set.

I dont think R&L ever thought it was going to be on-off gig and Neil said he believed the band would have played this year if they wasnt talked into doing it last year.

[jump]

They would of been better if they played in the dark.

[therefused]

They would of been better if they played in the dark.

Edited February 11, 2011 by mallett

[Dave The Hedgehog]

I think they were on at the same time as The Black Angels so I don't really care. I made a concerted effort NOT to see them, and it was just a matter of convenience that a much better band were on at the same time as them. I prefer to see bands that aren't spoonfed to me by the NME.

[thetime]

I think they were on at the same time as The Black Angels so I don't really care. I made a concerted effort NOT to see them, and it was just a matter of convenience that a much better band were on at the same time as them. I prefer to see bands that aren't spoonfed to me by the NME.

[Dave The Hedgehog]

your just to cool hedgehog.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

Mervyn was a fool if he thought it was a one off. They'd have to have been paid ten times that.

[j-j-j-j-joe!]

Well, not quite. I'm not Dolemite-cool.

Nothing to do with The Libertines, just one of the finest Blaxploitation films you'll ever see.

[mrtourette]

Does a band instantly become shit as soon as the NME decide that they like them? Sometimes a band that sells a lot records is actually good, sometimes the NME push decent bands, sometimes John Q Fanzine who records all his songs in his bedroom and releases vinyl-only special editions doesn't do so because he's cool and edgy but because he's shit and nobody likes his records.

I'm not defending the Libertines and certainly not the NME but this insta-insult of being a NME band spoonfed to the public is getting a bit tedious. It's as daft as the 'they sold loads of records so they must be good' or 'they did a telly advert so they've sold out' arguments.

[j-j-j-j-joe!]

Does a band instantly become shit as soon as the NME decide that they like them? Sometimes a band that sells a lot records is actually good, sometimes the NME push decent bands, sometimes John Q Fanzine who records all his songs in his bedroom and releases vinyl-only special editions doesn't do so because he's cool and edgy but because he's shit and nobody likes his records.

I'm not defending the Libertines and certainly not the NME but this insta-insult of being a NME band spoonfed to the public is getting a bit tedious. It's as daft as the 'they sold loads of records so they must be good' or 'they did a telly advert so they've sold out' arguments.

[bennyk]

i can't understand how people can be miserable about them. As an 18 year old to witness The Libertines play at Reading and Leeds was literally amazing.

Wouldn't have missed this for the world.

[mrtourette]

I don't like it either, but just because they overrate bands doesn't mean those bands aren't good.

[jump]

Does a band instantly become shit as soon as the NME decide that they like them? Sometimes a band that sells a lot records is actually good, sometimes the NME push decent bands, sometimes John Q Fanzine who records all his songs in his bedroom and releases vinyl-only special editions doesn't do so because he's cool and edgy but because he's shit and nobody likes his records.

I'm not defending the Libertines and certainly not the NME but this insta-insult of being a NME band spoonfed to the public is getting a bit tedious. It's as daft as the 'they sold loads of records so they must be good' or 'they did a telly advert so they've sold out' arguments.

[thetime]

Why do you buy the nme then? If you don't like what's in it then don't buy it!

[jump]

Why do you buy the nme then? If you don't like what's in it then don't buy it!

Edited February 11, 2011 by jump

[cheeseisamazing]

Tbh i'm not a massive Libertines fan and it really dose annoy me how Nme go on about them however

they played a good show

atmosphere was great

i really enjoyed myself

were they worth a 1 million, probbaly not, but lots of us enjoyed it

should we care R&L dished out 1million, not really there were still plenty of sick acts on

should we care that the show wasn't a one off. definetly not, all the other fans have a chance to see them now.

only thing i cared about were the chants of 'who the f**k are arcade fire' whcih was amusing, as there soo much better x

[j-j-j-j-joe!]

i can't understand how people can be miserable about them. As an 18 year old to witness The Libertines play at Reading and Leeds was literally amazing.

Wouldn't have missed this for the world.

[Vieuphoria]

Where they worth it? Well it brought a hell of a lot of hype to the festival, and brought in one of (if not the) biggest crowd of the weekend. Put on a great performance as well as being the first festival the band played on reformation. I can't see how in any way it was a failure as it did everything it was supposed to do.

We can be a snobby as we want about the band, or we can say they did it for the money? But let's face it, everyone knew they were going to reform. If the company running the festival wish to pay millions to get them to do it at Reading first... who is loosing out? The Band who have gained millions? or the festival for gaining a shit tonne of press? or the festival-goers who got to witness it?

and NME hype doesn't mean you aren't talented? It seems to be a very selective snobbery saved the more recent bands. Who complains nowadays about the likes of Stone Roses? Manic Street Preachers? Blur? Radiohead? Muse? etc etc etc. It's just nonsense. Yes they aren't really that credible, but to suggest that minute an interesting bands suddenly gets hyped it seems they are labelled as NME "indie shit". Best example.... The Horrors. Hyped to f**k. Release a great album. But get dismissed as NME Hype. Then release their second album 'Primary Colours' which was utterly superb.

[thetime]

I don't, I go to WH Smith in my lunch break and read all the music mags.