Brit Music Scene

Doherty: The Libertines Are Back - New Album, Tour In 2010

Posted: 01 Aug 2009 05:43 PM PDT

There have been rumors of The Libertines reforming for a few years now, basically since they split in 2004 following the sacking of Pete Doherty. The band came to a rather abrupt if not wholly unexpected end at that time, with all four original members heading off in different directions afterwards. All have stayed in music, with varying degrees of success, but there was something special about The Libertines that none have been able to recapture.

That is until May of this year when three of the four band members reunited for one glorious night in London at a tribute gig dedicated to the late Johnny Sedassy. Pete Doherty, Carl Barat, and Gary Powell were all there, with John Hassall deciding not to be involved. At least I assume he was asked. The gig went amazingly well, with the old magic seeming to be back, and no hard feelings left simmering between Doherty and Barat.

This brief but spectacular reunion raised more questions than it provided answers. Would The Libertines now reform for good? Was there any chance of a tour or even a new album? Neither Doherty or Barat have been drawn in to answering these questions until now. However, in an interview and article in The Times this weekend, Doherty did talk about the gig for the first time, and also about what could happen next.

He said:

"Basically we had a good couple of hours. We were up all night together. Yeah, it was amazing really. I think we're gonna make a record, and tour. Get the Libertines to take it to the next step, next stage. Next year."

Maybe I’m being a little stupid here but did Doherty just announce The Libertines were reforming? I think he did, whether he meant to or not. A tour is one thing, but a new album as well? That’s astounding news, although I guess we can’t treat it as confirmed quite yet. Doherty gave the interview after playing three gigs in three different countries in three days, so I’m guessing he may have been just a little tired and light-headed.

I guess we’ll have to wait until this is officially announced, and I’d certainly feel a lot more confident if Barat came out and said the same as Doherty. Is it too early to start celebrating yet? If the reunion does indeed take place then I’d love to see all four members of The Libertines involved, but I can’t see Hassall being persuaded to take part, abandoning his current band Yeti in the process.

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