The boys in the band hit the town last week!

The Libertines, those indierock-posterboys from back in the day, troubled geniuses and/or fucked up nutcases, are indeed reunited, for I have seen them with my very own eyes!

When I moved to London back in 2006, indierock was about to reach its peak in popularity and the Libertines, though already broken up at that time, were regarded as pioneers (if not Gods) in that field. Pete and Carl had reached cult status in an absurdly short amount of time, some even comparing them to the biggest duos ever… Page and Plant, Lennon and McCartney, Mick and Keith…

I myself had never heard of them before, feeling like a newborn in London’s music scene. It didn’t take me long to become acquainted with their music and their infamous antics. Pete had gone off with Babyshambles and Kate Moss, feeding the tabloids with stories of escapades every other day. Carl had put out some nice tunes with his Dirty Pretty Things, but neither follow-up-band ever gained a cult following like the Libertines.

I don’t remember if I ever saw Dirty Pretty Things live, maybe at some festival or the other. I did see Babyshambles a couple of times, which at that time was something to boast about as they were cancelling about 90% of their gigs due to Pete Doherty’s ongoing drug antics. But you had to hand it to Peter – his music really was good!

I also liked the way he played out every single Rock’n’Roll cliché. The tabloids loved him and I loved their obsession with him, even going as far as dedicating my Bachelor thesis to his troubled yet fascinating relationship with the media.

Oh my friend you haven’t changed
You’re looking rough and living strange
And I know you got a taste for it too ah ah ah oh

At the Vienna show, Pete and Carl did everything they are famous for, sharing the love and the mic, quarrelling, making up, throwing things… Music-wise it was like a trip with a time machine back to early 2000s London. I personally like Babyshambles music a little better, it’s more melodic and more sing-along (to me, that’s good). Nevertheless it was a lovely evening if you love indie music, the boys in the band, and some old school Rock’n’Roll attitude.

They’ll never forgive you but they won’t let you go, oh no
She’ll never forgive you but she won’t let you go, oh no