WORDS AND IMAGES RHYS GROVER
This gig at O2 Ritz Manchester people had been waiting for since April, as Pete Doherty was forced to cancel the original gig due to illness, and he was determined to deliver his absolute best to his adoring Manchester crowd. From the moment he stepped on stage, he was lapping up the energy from the crowd, playing right into their hands and keeping them on their toes. His first interaction was actually trying to get a QPR shirt from a crowd member by offering swaps with one of the classic Manchester team shirts he had adorning his stage.
A solo tour is always a daunting thing for a musician to take on, as there will always be that doubt of if they are as good on their own as they have been in whichever band it is. Doherty is however an exception to this rule, you know you are always going to get class and quality, he’s dipped his toes into numerous different bands and always pulled it off, so there was no question that he could do it on his own.
The support for the night came from Trampolene, a Welsh band who somehow slip under the radars of far too many people. Their songwriting skill is incredible, and their on stage persona is up there with the best. There set was different from the usual, with more of an acoustic touch too it, but it’s good to spice things up and have a change here and there, and this was living proof. The crowd was divided, a fair proportion knew the band and their material, cheering them on consistently throughout, the remainder however were obviously not existing fans, but were showing their full support and I am in no doubt that there heads have now been turned into the direction of Trampolene.
There was only a brief wait for Doherty to take to the stage, as it was just him on his own and the stage had been set and ready since the get go. He came onto the predictable rapturous cheers and applause and got straight on to his set after failing to pry the QPR shirt off the unsuspecting fan. He begged for forgiveness and opened with a track he hadn’t performed for around a decade, which he intertwined with a short but fantastic rendition of ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ by Manchester’s very own The Smiths.
The set was formed with a good mix of Libertines tracks, with the odd song from his other career ventures including The Puta Madres and even a Babyshambles track or two and the odd solo track too. It was a crowd pleasing set, with deep cuts and those sing along anthems that The Libertines became instantly recognisable for. There wasn’t really more you could ask for, and the intimate nature of his stage set up drew you in as if you were stood on the stage with him. No band, no backing, just a man and his guitar doing what he has aways done best. In better shape than ever before, and fresh from the chaos of a newborn, Pete Doherty was there to do one thing, deliver the best performance he possibly could for a set of fans who had waited since April. He did it in style
SET LIST
1/ A REBOURS
2/ WHAT A WASTER
3/ NEVER NEVER
4/ ALBION
5/ SHEEPSKIN TEARWAY
6/ WHAT KATIE DID
7/ THE BOY LOOKED AT JOHNNY
8/ MUSIC WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT
9/ MERRY OLD ENGLAND
10/ CANT STAND ME NOW
11/ FUCK FOREVER
12/ TIME FOR HEROES
13/ THERE SHE GOES
14/ I GET ALONG
15/ FRENCH DOG BLUES
16/ SHIVER
17/ SHEEPSKIN TEARAWAY
18/ DONT LOOK BACK AT THE SUN
19/ PARADISE IS UNDER YOUR NOSE
FOLLOW PETE DOHERTY
FOLLOW TRAMPOLENE
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
