Hypothesis: partying with Beck, Justice and The Libertines is the most ideal way to kick a new festival off the ground. By all calculations, it turns out that reality lives up to the theory.
Sydney City Limits is Australia’s answer to the renowned Texas event that has become a cornerstone of America’s festival circuit. Like Austin City Limits, SCL is set to make its mark on the industry here at home. The event came out swinging in its inaugural year with a glittering lineup that echoed festivals past (Big Day Out, Soundwave), beckoning some big acts who haven’t been this side of the shoreline in a while (what we like to see).
Brit punk icons The Libertines, the infinitely talented Grace Jones, mastermind Beck, and French electro/indie powerhouses Justice and Phoenix all joined a rich and diverse bill of local and internationals acts. Aussie wares like Gang of Youths, Stella Donnelly, Winston Surfshirt, Alex Lahey and The Avalanches sat alongside comfortably showcasing staggering talent.
The kick-off was a one-day affair set to four stages and was peppered with boutique food, beverage and retail stalls, including The Grove VIP section, for anyone malcontent with the sweaty mosh life. While around 14,000 turned up to muzz, the Centennial Park space was easy to navigate between stages and the lines for food and drinks were spread out and moved quickly, thanks to the abundance of vendors. It was a jam-packed schedule which meant that we weren’t bored for a second. We’ll definitely be back next year.
Photos by Dani Hansen.
LDRU
Stella Donnelly
Tkay Maidza
Sigrid
The Head And The Heart
Allday
The Libertines
Car Seat Headrest
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
The Velvet Underground. No band inspires wonder in the way they did. Their opus, The Velvet Underground & Nico, is probably one of the most influential albums in the late 20th Century. If Brian Eno is to be believed, while only 30,000 people bought the album, and “Everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.”
So when I heard that John Cale played the entirety of that album, live, along with other songs from White Light/White Heat, I was crushed I didn’t hear about it sooner. Of course, it was at Philharmonie de Paris, so I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway, but it’s the thought that counts right? Cale was joined on stage by some very special guests throughout the concert: Pete Doherty and Carl Barât from The Libertines, Mark Lanegan, Lou Doillon, Etienne Daho, and Nick Franglen of Lemon Jelly.
Another notable guest was Animal Collective, whom Cale appeared with on Hocus Pocus off their album Painting With. Cale and Collective also appeared in conversation together on The Thread.
You can watch the performances of I’ll Be Your Mirror, White Light/White Heat, and Femme Fatale below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejaGPh6FcZE]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_UBcddi5rY]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYMQ9VFjTAA]
Read our Flashback Friday feature on The Velvet Underground & Nico
Image: The Velvet Underground
The Libertines have debuted their first new material since 2004’s self-titled second album. Playing at the Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret Festival, the band played through Gunga Gin, which is set to feature on the third record, set for release later this year through Virgin EMI.
Pete Doherty can be heard at the start of the video saying, ‘We’re gonna give you one, but it’s gotta be a secret, yeah? Turn all your phones off.‘ Carl Barat quips, ‘She’ll die, she ain’t ready!‘. Needless to say, not everyone respected Pete’s request and so we’re left with this fan-vid, complete with crappy audio and huge security guards hovering into view. The reggae-ish upbeat track features the telltale raw guitar-work of Pete and Carl, as well as the vocal riffing of the two frontmen.
The Libertines have said to NME that the new album will be more progressive than earlier offerings, for fear of repeating themselves.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Erz6EiWbK0]
What better way to celebrate Easter than with…a lifesize sculpture of the crucifixion of Pete Doherty?
That’s right, folks. London’s St. Marylebone Parish Church will have the sculpture of The Libertines’ frontman up on display from February 19th to March 17th as part of the Stations of the Cross exhibition.
Rev. Stephen Evans says the statue perfectly symbolises the true meaning of Easter, especially given Doherty’s recent release from rehab.
“Today, having successfully completed rehab treatment in Thailand, Doherty seeks to live a new life free of the things which had nearly destroyed him. I hope that ‘For Pete’s Sake’ might help visitors to the exhibition stop and reflect not only Christ’s Passion and Resurrection and what this means but also to stop and reflect on what in their own lives leads to death or to life.”
The sculpture, cleverly called ‘For Pete’s Sake’, was created by artist Nick Reynolds in 2008.
Luckily for us, Reynolds explained his actions:
“I saw Pete being crucified by the media and that provided the basis of my inspiration to make this piece.”
All in all, it’s for a good cause. The exhibition, curated by Ben Moore, is to raise money for the Missing Tom Fund. The money raise will go towards supporting the search to find Moore’s brother after his disappearance in 2003.
After the exhibition, the sculpture will go on sale for £33,000, or $65106.92 AUD.
Meanwhile the real Pete Doherty will be travelling to London to perform in two shows early next week. The Libertines, who have signed onto a new label, are planning to release a new album sometime this year.
Last week The Libertines signed a record contract with Virgin EMI whilst staying on Ko Si Chang island in Thailand. The new album, to be released in 2015, will be their third, and their first since the self-titled record of 2004. As the good ship Albion readies for another journey, it becomes necessary to consider the relevance a new Libertines album holds. The band, led by star-crossed frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, achieved a level of diehard devotion with their first two albums, fostered by their anarchic youthfulness, raw sound and the dynamic relationship between the two poets at the Albion’s helm.
The Libertines became the creative outlet for the frustrations and reconciliations between Pete and Carl, as charted by songs like Can’t Stand Me Now and What Became of the Likely Lads?. Pete even served two months for breaking into Carl’s flat after a dispute, only for Carl to be waiting at the prison gates upon his release. A cycle of fractured relations and eventual reunions began, with an overarching theme of mutual obsession to the point of dependence upon one another intertwined with Pete’s dependence of an illicit nature.
The volatile relationship was undeniably beneficial to the band’s success, yet it created a sense of inevitability about the band’s breakup, with the band unwilling to work with Pete the addict. Both of the frontmen worked on side projects that never reached the heights they scaled in tandem.
So as the years have matured the inextricable partnership, how will a new Libertines project be received? They no longer have the chaotic arrogance of uncaring youth to inform their insightful lyricism, which was a key component of their proud English punk sound. Time will tell if they can manage to stay relevant to a constantly evolving industry, or if their sound was better left in the past, providing them with the martyrdom of a band cut short in their prime.
One aspect of the return of the band does not bode well: Pete’s admittance that the much publicised (in England at least) reunion at Hyde Park on July 5th of this year was motivated by the large amount of money offered. If the tortured love of two great lyricists shines through on next year’s album, it will do much more for the band than if treated as a quick money-grabbing opportunity like another John Farnham last-ever concert. The album will make it clear if the good ship Albion will sail on, or sink to the depths, taking the bands legacy along with it.