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Made in Shoreditch

I also contribute a weekly column to Made in Shoreditch magazine called 'Old East End/New East End', where I look at the relationship between the East End of old and new, looking at the changes and the stalwarts in landscape, residents and culture, focussing on one street or district each week. You can find it here.

The Libertines @ Reading Festival

Monday 30 August 2010

Wow. Bloody great wasn't it? I didn't attend the festival myself, but just from watching it on BBC iPlayer it felt like I was there. It felt personal...

We all know the story of The Libertines - Doherty's drugs, Barat's dismay - and most of us have been a bit sad that they've not been together for the past 6 years, however, this reunion gig was amazing.

The boys ran through most of their back catalogue and did a wonderful job. There was hugs, kisses and smiles aplenty and the crowd really went wild.



There's just something so alluring about that band. Maybe, in a perverse kind of way, I'm attracted to the heroin-chic glamour of it all. I'm certainly attracted to the great music they made. Maybe it's because when I was 16 they were the best band around. The Libertines, to me, are just a real, proper rock 'n' roll band.

In Doherty and Barat they have two of the brightest, most exciting and beautiful front-men the world has seen. In Gary they have a fantastic drummer. In John they have that straight man, John Entwistle character, holding it all together (or not most of the time.)

At one point, during Time for Heroes, it all got too much for the audience who surged forward and caused a bit of a commotion, but this was just 80,000 people's sheer elation at seeing these guys performing together again.



This was an absolute beauty of a performance and I'm very pleased they're back together again. I just hope they're going to tour after this and if they are I shall be watching by hook or by crook!

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