Frontman Peter Doherty, Carl Barât (vocals/guitar), John Hassell (bass) and Gary Powell (drums) have established perhaps their most evolutionary sound yet, and are now a world away from precarious nights out and run-ins with the law.

A tale of two ideas, Carl and Peter co-wrote ‘Shiver’ together. Speaking on the making of the single, Carl commented: “Peter had a song and I had a song and we mashed them up and did it collaboratively.”

“I would probably find it difficult to work out who did what because we were both there the whole time through its creation. It should really be called ‘The Last Dream Of Every Dying Soldier’, but everyone liked the title ‘Shiver’,” Peter added.

Directed by Alex Brown, the ‘Shiver’ music video is a ‘Bergmanesque seaside funeral of a pearly king’, captured in a moody, cinematic black and white. The video stars all four members alongside a cast of eccentric characters who appear on the sleeve artwork, a strange yet endearing caricature of cockney and seaside culture, as well as the crossover between old school and modern day working-class Britain. The video was shot in Cliftonville, Margate and at The Libertines’ hotel The Albion Rooms, and is the third instalment in a series of Margate-themed videos, following on from their first single ‘Run, Run, Run‘ and ‘Night Of The Hunter‘.

Produced by Grammy-nominated producer Dimitri Tikovoï and recorded at The Albion Rooms in Margate, the album was created in just four weeks between February and March 2023 and finalised over seven days at La Ferme de Gestein Studios in Normandy.

Additional production and mixing were also finalised by Dan Grech-Marguerat, known for his work with Lana Del Rey, Liam Gallagher and Sir Paul McCartney. The band will be putting on a series of intimate gigs around the UK over the coming weeks, and will also be recording a session at BBC Maida Vale Studios later this month for broadcast on Radio 2’s ‘Piano Room’ in February.

‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ is out on March 8 2024 and is available to preorder here. The album will be available on CD, deluxe CD, 12” vinyl in limited edition coloured variants, deluxe double vinyl cassette and digital download.

Having already performed this week at Stockton Arc and Liverpool’s Cavern Club, you can still catch The Libertines in all of their glory on the dates below.

January

25/01/2024 – Milton Keynes – MK11
27/01 – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
28/01 – Derby – Hairy Dog
29/01 – Lincoln – Drill Hall

February

11/02 – Falmouth – Pavilions
12/02 – Southampton – Engine Room
14/02 – Stoke – Underground
15/02 – Leeds – The Wardrobe
16/02 – Glasgow – Oran Mor

Doherty, the frontman of indie rock band The Libertines, had become notorious for his struggles with substances and his run-ins with the law during the late 2000s and 2010s. Now attempting sobriety, he has reflected on his chaotic past with Louis Theroux.

A real pleasure to catch up with @louistheroux

Catch up now on @BBCiPlayer #louistherouxinterviews pic.twitter.com/FmOnG2VdV6

— Peter Doherty (@petedoherty) November 16, 2023

When questioned on his health, Doherty shared, “You are looking at a very sick man. I’ve battered it, haven’t I, I’ve fucking caned it. [The] heroin and the crack… I surrendered to that, and then it was cocaine and the smoking and the alcohol, and now it’s cheese and the saucisson, and the sugar in the tea.”

He continued, “It’s all gotta go. They told me a little while ago if you don’t change your diet then you’re gonna have diabetes and cholesterol problems. Death’s lurking, you know what I mean? That’s why I carry that stick.”

Doherty also shared that he doesn’t believe he will be able to see his daughter, Billie-May (born in June of this year) grow up. When Theroux suggested living another 25 years to see his daughter start a family of her own, Doherty responded, “That’s a stretch though, isn’t it.”

Theroux also asked Doherty what advice he would give to someone interested in dabbling in drugs, to which Doherty replied, “My life in using was so chaotic and the consequences of [it]… You’ll be in prison and you’ll fuck your body up and you’ll be skint and you’ll lose your family and you’ll lose everything you love. Is it really that good? That’s beyond curiosity, that’s a right mess. I still get tingles thinking about it, but I’m able to talk to you rather than running off and scoring.”

Doherty also delves into other highly publicised aspects of his life throughout the interview, including his relationship with supermodel Kate Moss and his feud with former Libertines bandmate Carl Barat. Barat revealed that Doherty’s addictions caused a rift in the band, leading to The Libertines performing without Doherty.

Discussing Pete Doherty following the interview, Theroux shared, “I was surprised by how funny he was, I was surprised that (maybe I shouldn’t haven’t been) his recovery still seemed precarious, and I would say that maybe I was sort of surprised by his level of openness.”

Theroux continued, “I suppose everyone curates a persona that they present in public and I’m sure he does as well, but his curatorial choice seemed to be that he’ll speak about anything. Occasionally he deflects a bit, but I never felt that he was especially unwilling to talk about stuff, so it’s a very soul-bearing interview.”

Watch Louis Theroux Interviews: Pete Doherty here.

Speaking in an interview with Oliver Spencer, the drummer detailed some of the band’s process in recording the album and exactly when it should be available.

In the interview he said: “We’ve just recorded our latest album. I think we do one every 10 years or so. Yes. So expect the next one to come from the grave! The album comes out in January [2024].”

The timeline adds up considering it was reported that the band was recording in Jamaica some time last year (2022). In an interview, guitarist Pete Doherty said: “We have just been in Jamaica, me and Carl, and we’ve got a new album on the way.”

Drummer Powell has previously spoken a lot about the next Libertines album, as he has said: “The good thing is everybody’s been writing. Obviously, we’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel… but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.”

About the next album, Doherty during a performance at Glastonbury told the crowd: “There are lots of things on the table – some really good, strong and melodic rock’n’roll songs.”

Frontman Carl Barat has also previously spoken about the next album, as he said: “Sonically, we want to do something we haven’t done before… I think we’ll be looking to do something with a different energy than before. But we’re not at that stage yet.”

The band started work on the new album in 2019, as the band expressed interest in taking the album into many different musical directions with Pete Doherty likening the album’s potential sonic diversity to Sardinstra by The Clash – he said: “Carl wants to do a ‘Sandinista’ thing with all these mad ideas that we’ve got, so we’ll have all these freestyle things and folky things, then there’s the more traditional Doherty/Barat songs,”

One new song has been detailed by the band; a track named ‘Shiver’ which the band seem particularly fond of. About the song, Doherty said the track has “got a real sentimental hark back”, which must mean a stylistic return to old-school Libertines tracks. Co-frontman Barat was in agreement, claiming “Yeah, ‘Shiver’’s great. I was listening to that last night, actually.”

At the 19th Zurich Film Festival’s Sounds section, musician Peter Doherty will present the World Premiere of PETER DOHERTY: STRANGER IN MY OWN SKIN. In addition to this highlight, the Sounds section offers even more music film screenings: https://t.co/48VgjSWH37 pic.twitter.com/qYRRxVusfd

— Zurich Film Festival (@zurichfilmfest) August 29, 2023

Stranger In My Own Skin will be presented by Doherty and feature a live performance during the Zurich Film Festival which runs from the 28th of September through to the 8th of October. The film will document the singer’s rise to fame with the band The Libertines but also feature the drug addictions that plagued Doherty’s career, causing lengthy absences away from the band and legal troubles.

The film will debut at the festival as part of the Sounds section, launching last year, and examines subject matter with a musical theme or soundtrack. Stranger In My Own Skin will premier alongside various other films centred around music, including a biopic on Anita Pallenberg, Catching Fire-The Story Of Anita Pallenberg.

Speaking about the premier of the documentary, Zurich Film Festival artistic director Christian Jungen said, “the biopic chronicles the British rock star who, after reaching the pinnacle of his career, sinks into the depths of a serious drug addiction. His wife, director and musician Katia deVidas, followed the wild life of The Libertines frontman at close quarters for over 10 years. We’re looking forward to welcoming them both to Zurich.”

The documentary follows the 2022 release of Doherty’s memoir A Likely Lad, chronicling the musician’s frank and honest experiences with the turbulent aspects of his career. The memoir offers an intimate look at Doherty’s self-destructive behaviours, addictions and stint in prison due to the burglary of fellow Libertines musician Carl Barat’s house.

Doherty formed The Libertines with Barat in the late 1990s in London and gained world-wide success in 2002 with the release of their debut album, Up The Bracket. Doherty himself quickly rose to prominence within the band, with scores of critics praising the frontman for his song-writing abilities. Continuing addiction to drugs caused much friction within the band and led the other members to remove Doherty on more than one occasion.

Although the band officially went on hiatus in 2004, while Doherty sought treatment for his addiction, The Libertines reformed at various times throughout the years, remaining active and releasing an album (their last to date), Anthems For Doomed Youth in 2015.

In between his time with The Libertines, Doherty also formed the band Babyshambles, releasing three studio records and Pete Doherty And The Puta Madres-formed by Doherty and members of his touring band. The band has released a single eponymous studio album in April of 2019.

Doherty will be performing a handful of shows in France this autumn. Tickets can be found here. You can purchase his book here.

Pete Doherty Tour:

30/09/2023 – Theatre Alexandre Dumas – Saint-Germain–en-Laye, France
17/10 – Olympia – Arcachon, France
21/10 – Grande Salle, Chateau Rouge – Annemasse, France
22/10 – La Cooperative de Mai – Clermont-Ferrand, France
23/10 – La radiant-Bellevue – Caluire et Cuire, France
25/10 – 6MIC – Aix-en-Provence, France
26/10 – La Belle Electrique – Grenoble, France
27/10 – Le Bikini – Ramonville St Agne, France

Otherwise known by his nickname Mr Razzcocks, the late drummer passed away on Tuesday 6th September 2022; a cause of death is yet to be known. The Libertines took to social media to pay tribute to their former band member; alongside a picture of the band, The Libertines included the following heartfelt statement, “Paul Dufour, our much loved drummer from the early days, passed away last night. We are all in great shock and sadness. Sending love and thoughts to Paul’s friends and family. It was honour to play with you Mr Razzcocks. Forever in our hearts x,“

Paul Dufour, our much loved drummer from the early days, passed away last night. We are all in great shock and sadness. Sending love and thoughts to Paul’s friends and family. It was honour to play with you Mr Razzcocks.

Forever in our hearts x pic.twitter.com/Y21OU96iYb

— Libertines (@libertines) September 7, 2022

Earlier this year, the indie rockers announced a one-off show celebrating the twentieth-anniversary edition of their debut album. Released in October 2022, Up The Bracket ushered in a new generation of modern popular music and propelled The Libertines into the limelight. The album’s release and The Libertines’ subsequent notoriety marked a resurgence of popularity in the UK rock and alternative music scene; the album’s tracks such as “Time For Heroes” and “Boys In The Band” have since become the cornerstone of indie music.

‘Up The Bracket’ arrived like a raging bull in a tired post-Britpop china shop, introducing The @libertines‘.

In celebration of 20 years since this astonishing debut, it now arrives as a deluxe boxset with double vinyl, cassette & book.@RoughTradeRecshttps://t.co/W6fWHoTaPm pic.twitter.com/mfzVDGsdWK

— Rough Trade (@RoughTrade) June 16, 2022

The Libertines have also confirmed a release date of a special twentieth-anniversary edition of Up The Bracket; the album will be released via Rough Trade Records and will be able to purchase from 21st October 2022. The beloved band’s drummer Powell recently spoke with NME concerning the anniversary release and the band’s hotly anticipated fourth studio album, the band’s upcoming album will follow their third studio album, Anthems For Doomed Youth, released in 2015.

Within the interview, Powell confirms he is more interested in new material than the forthcoming reissue, “My mind is more in line with the opportunity to record a new album than anything regarding 20 years ago. We’ve been playing the majority of the album [‘Up the Bracket’] for 20 years now, so this year for me, is a great opportunity to draw a line under this part of the saga and move on to the next phase.“

The Libertines’ sticksman continued to describe the band’s new music, “The good thing is everybody’s been writing. I’m hoping there’s going to be a whole new fervour and interesting dimension added to how we approach things. Obviously, we’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel and be like Depeche Mode going from rock ‘n’ roll to electronic, but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.“

The Up The Bracket 20th Anniversary Edition is available to pre-order now and will be available on various formats. A statement via Rough Trade describes the upcoming release, “In addition to a remaster of the original Up The Bracket album, produced by Mick Jones (The Clash), the Super Deluxe Edition also includes a remarkable 65 previously unreleased recordings including many original demos, radio sessions and live recordings all helping to chart the making of Up The Bracket, plus a live recording from the 100 club in 2002. It also contains a 60 page book with a forward by Matt Wilkinson, new interviews with the band by Anthony Thornton and many unseen photos and memorabilia.“

Click here to pre-order Up The Bracket 20th Anniversary Edition.

The Libertines, consisting of Peter Doherty (vocals/guitar); Carl Barât (vocals/guitar); John Hassall (bass guitar); and Gary Powell (drums), will kick start the UK leg of their tour, on the 3rd of December 2019, in Bournemouth, at the O2 Academy before heading to Leeds, Dundee, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, and concluding on the 18th of December 2019, in London.

Before the quartet touch down in the UK, they will be heading across Europe throughout October and November. They will begin their eight day European leg of their tour, on the 27th of October 2019, in Paris before continuing on to Cologne, Munich, Berlin, Luxembourg, Brussels, concluding in Utrecht, on the 21st of November 2019. Tickets for the band’s first headline tour in more than two years, went on sale on Friday the 28th of June 2019 and can purchased from here.

The announcement comes ahead of the debut opening of The Libertines’ bar, ‘The Waste Land’ and recording studio, ‘The Albion Rooms’, in Margate, which will have their grand opening, on the 16th of August 2019. More details on the opening celebrations of the bar and studio to follow shortly. The tour announcement follows the previous news that Peter Doherty and Carl Barât will be playing two acoustic shows, at Hackney Empire, in London, on Thursday the 5th of September and Friday the 6th of September 2019, as part of Somewhere Festival.

The Libertines, before coming back together to work on their upcoming tour and their fourth album, the follow-up to the No.3 UK charting album, ’Anthems For Doomed Youth’ (2015), which gave us hits such as ‘Gunga Din,’ ‘Heart Of The Matter’ and ‘You’re My Waterloo’, band members Peter Doherty and Carl Barât done their own thing. Peter Doherty recently released his acclaimed new album ‘Peter Doherty &  The Puta Madres’ and toured the UK and Europe. While, Carl Barât has returned from a sold-out tour of the far East.

The Libertines released their debut single, ‘What A Waster’, in 2002, with the follow-up single, ‘Up The Bracket’ being released, in September of the same year and hit the UK Top 30. The  singles were then followed by their debut album, also entitled, ‘Up The Bracket’. ‘Time For Heroes’ was released, in January 2003 and followed by ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’. The band’s second album, ‘The Libertines’, was released in August 2004 and entered the UK album chart at Number One, which gave birth to the top 10 singles ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ and ‘What Became Of The Likely Lads.’

The Libertines UK and European Tour Dates 2019: 

27/10/2019 – Olympia – Paris
2/11 – Carlswerk – Cologne
4/11 – Tonhalle –  Munich
5/11 – Columbiahalle – Berlin
17/11 – Den Atelier – Luxembourg
18/11 – Cirque Royale – Brussels
20/11 – Tivoli Vrendenburg – Utrecht
21/11 – Tivoli Vredenburg – Utrecht
3/12 – O2 Academy – Bournemouth
4/12 – O2 Academy – Leeds
6/12 – Caird Hall – Dundee
7/12 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow
10/12 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
12/12 – Rock City – Nottingham
14/12 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
16/12 – O2 Academy – Bristol
18/12 – O2 Academy Brixton – London

Speaking to Gordon Smart for an episode of  This Feeling TV, Barat spoke candidly about the band’s follow up to 2015’s Anthems For Doomed Youth, and that the band are working to get the new album out as soon as possible. “Yeah. We’re doing everything we can. We’ve got so much material and so much still to do and say.”

Barat also detailed plans for the band’s new “hotel“, which bandmate Pete Doherty told Q Magazine described as something that Barat had been “nest-egging” for at the end of 2016, suggesting the property would feature a “hotel, bar, restaurant, recording studio”.

Barat confirmed this, and elaborated “We’re jumping through hoops – the last thing we’re waiting on is getting the planning permission. If that goes through then we’re in business and rolling with a place to make a record, place to rehearse, place to write, a place to do whatever we want really.”

“We’ve still got fucking two decades’ of stuff, and we’ve still got a lot to write about […]There’s a lot of water yet to go under the bridge in many ways so yeah, there’s plenty to do.”

Powell also revealed that one planned practice session in Hamburg was disrupted after Pete Doherty drove the band away from their rehearsal space in the camper van he currently lives in. The band also performed two warm-up gigs in Glasgow without rehearsing prior to the shows according to a new interview in Mojo magazine.

The band were planning to rehearse on the morning of the Hyde Park gig but Carl Barat flew from Paris to London the day before the gig after, “realising it was probably what the occasion demanded”. Speaking after the Hyde Park show, he said, “I’m not sure if it was a triumph but it was certainly unpredictable, as most things with this always band are.”

The Libertines’ next UK dates come in September when the band will play three gigs at Alexandra Palace. Support across the trio of shows will come from Peace, Swim Deep and Circa Waves. They will then play a run of European gigs.

The Libertines will play:

26th-28th September – London Alexandra Palace
30th September – Paris Zenith
2nd October – Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall
3rd October – Brussels FN Club
4th October – Berlin Columbiahalle
5th October – Dusseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle

Get your tickets here.

Eventually Barât dissolved the band as feelings became uncomfortable to continue under the Libertines name without Doherty present and continued creating material under his band ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ whilst Doherty became involved with ‘Babyshambles’. Six years later in 2010 the band began to set rumours of reunion and now in 2014 they appear to be keeping to those words in full force by seeking out a new record label after the British Summer Time Festival in July

The BST festival, sponsored by Barclay’s, will headline Arcade Fire, Neil Young, The National, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osborne and many others along with the much anticipated Libertines reunion. But if you can’t wait for that then head to the Barrowlands in Glasgow on the 29^th of June to see the boys warm up before their big unveiling. No ticket sales for the Glasgow gig are available yet, however grab your seats for the BST festival in July as they will be going fast!

The 4-piece band split after playing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2010 and have not been re-united on stage since. This singular Facebook post, however, has got fans far more excited than they have been in the last 4 years. Pete Doherty has recently spoken of his financial troubles which would surely be a considerable factor in his motivation to once again spark up The Libertines.

Israeli newspaper Ynet published a supposed interview with the frontman in which he is alleged to have stated “I don’t know if I’m supposed to even tell you this, but we were offered to reform the Libertines for a show this July in Hyde Park. I got the call just yesterday”. The interview continues with Doherty claiming that he has been unable to contact guitarist Carl Barat but the rumour fires have already been sufficiently fuelled and it would take a definitive press statement from the band to disprove said rumours.

Hyde Park seems a logical venue choice for the band with an undeniable London sense of swagger and any reunion that takes place would certainly not be undertaken in half measures. With each member undertaking various ventures in the time of, perhaps now that they have clearer schedules a reunion may seem like the next logical step.