The Libertines @ The Barrowland Ballroom

By Ben Bagley

The Barrowland Ballroom is surprisingly empty on this drizzly Friday night in Glasgow as support band Real Farmer take to the stage. The Dutch four-piece, whose t-shirt I am proudly sporting, are a discerning choice as opener for indie legends the Libertines at this equally iconic venue.

 As the Erich Maria Remarque-inspired title of their latest album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade suggests, the Libertines tumultuous existence since the band’s inception in 1997 has been underscored by conflict. The fractious relationship between frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barât is almost as famous as the band itself. 

 It’s testament to their cultural significance that despite all the off-stage antics the Libertines have maintained a loyal fanbase. As well as releasing their first album for nine years, the band announced an extensive reunion tour, including the mouth-watering prospect of two nights at The Barrowlands in Glasgow. 

 The Libertines strut onto the well-trodden boards of a now packed-out ballroom only five minutes behind schedule. The crowd seem almost surprised at the punctuality of the band, who have become renowned for their penchant for intoxicants and lax approach to timekeeping. A friend of mine who has flown over from Germany for the show had to wait three hours for Doherty and co. to emerge at their last outing in Berlin. 

 The only thing more remarkable than the band’s newfound promptness is their array of hats. Bassist John Hassall is sporting a flat cap which could easily earn him a role in the new series of Peaky Blinders. A rendition of ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’ is bashed out early doors, which a group of ‘lads’ see as a queue to launch their pint across the room; many an adidas clad millennial obviously treating this as a warm-up for the Oasis reunion tour next summer.

 Following the early barrage of indie bangers, the tempo is brought down for singalong classic ‘Music When the Lights Go Out’. Pete’s crowd-work remains second to none throughout the mid-concert lull and the set is spruced up with an anecdote about the frontman’s earlier visit to the Glasgow Necropolis.

 Having not released any music for such a long time, you wouldn’t be blamed for expecting the band’s latest work to be fairly middle of the road. This is far from the case, however, with the album’s lead single ‘Run Run Run’ receiving one of the more rapturous receptions of the night.

The main set is concluded with ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’, a song written shortly after Doherty was infamously arrested for burgling Barât’s flat in 2003. As we hit the chorus, lager is being flung about the Barras as if Scott McTominay has just bagged a last-gasp winner in an important World Cup qualifier at Hampden. In fact, a plastic cup of what I hope was Tennent’s strikes me square on the temple mid-way through the middle eight. 

After the slight throbbing in my head subsides, the inevitable and rather self-indulgent seven song encore follows. The moment we’ve all been waiting for comes shortly before the venue’s curfew as the instantly recognisable guitar hook of ‘Don’t Look Back Into the Sun’ kicks in. A song about acceptance and moving on is a highly appropriate closer for a band who seem to have put the troubles of the past behind them.