Most will be familiar with Blur’s meteoric rise to fame in the Britpop era. Which saw Coxon’s guitar playing prowess earn him a spot in pop music history. Yet we should all know now that what comes with fame and fortune isn’t always pretty. A press release for the book reads; “Among the noise and clamour of the Britpop era, Blur co-founder Graham Coxon managed to carve out a niche to become one of the most innovative and respected guitarists of his generation – but it wasn’t always easy. Graham grew up as an Army kid, moving frequently in his early years from West Germany to Derbyshire and Winchester before settling in Colchester, Essex. A shy child, he had a thing for eating soil and drawing intense visions; his anxiety was tempered by painting and a growing love of music.”

Verse, Chorus, Monster!

The long-awaited memoir from guitarist, visual artist and Blur co-founder, Graham Coxon.

Out 6th October, pre-order nowhttps://t.co/bU6FXJHzvS pic.twitter.com/srWMnLqvJ1

— graham coxon (@grahamcoxon) June 7, 2022

The release adds; “These twin passions grew into obsessions, and as he honed his artistic skill at school, Goldsmiths and beyond, his band with school friend Damon Albarn, fellow student Alex James, and a drummer called Dave Rowntree began to get noticed. But there are things they don’t tell you before you get famous. There are monsters out there. And some may even be lurking inside yourself.”

These days Coxon has embarked on a new chapter with his musical duo The WAEVE. Featuring Rose Elinor Dougall who once played with The Pipettes and has collaborated with Mark Ronson.

Ahead of their launch gig at the Lexington on the 4^th of May 2022, the band said; “We are greatly looking forward to unleashing our new sound live at the Lexington. We’ve been locked away, busy translating the varied sounds of our songs into a dynamic live show, with the help of some great musician friends. We invite you to surrender to the world of The WAEVE.”

You can have a listen to The Waeve’s first single “Something Pretty” in the video below;

The book’s synopsis advertises itself as “Doherty’s version of the story – the genuine man behind the fame and infamy. This is a rock memoir like no other“, with Doherty exploring some of “his darkest moments“. It comes just a month after Doherty revealed his drug addiction nearly lost him his feet.

EXCLUSIVE

A rock memoir like no other…@petedoherty and Simon Spence – ‘A Likely Lad’

The long-awaited, candid memoir from talented musician and @libertines frontman Peter Doherty.

Signed + 4 exclusive postcards.https://t.co/CisggEMjUG @LittleBrownUK pic.twitter.com/SxfchILsw1

— Rough Trade (@RoughTrade) April 20, 2022

Luckily for him, things have been getting better as of late. His recent collaboration with French composer Frédéric Lo yielded the critically acclaimed The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime. Doherty credits this latest project as contributing to his sobriety over the past two years.

On dealing with his drug addiction, he said back in January that “I was getting clean. I suppose there was just so much recklessness for such a long period of time and not really caring what anyone else thought that it reverses, and all of a sudden you go from having no pressure to being hyper-sensitively aware of this new expectation …. I think the creative process is like an addiction in itself. I need to write songs, and I’ve never really got to the bottom of it.“

If you’re interested in A Likely Lad, it’s due out on June 16^th through Little Brown and can be pre-ordered from here. Doherty also has some live dates coming up, both in the UK and around Europe, visiting the likes of Birmingham, London, Paris and Amsterdam. You can see the UK dates below, as well as find tickets here.

Doherty’s little old outfit The Libertines has some things coming up as well, namely talks of a new album. They’ve also got a performance at London’s Wembley Arena lined up, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their debut album, Up the Bracket. If you’re interested then you can get tickets here, and the band’s UK dates can be found down below.

Pete Doherty UK Tour Dates

13/05/2022 – KOKO – London
14/05 – Birmingham Town Hall – Birmingham
16/05 – Olympia – Liverpool
18/05 – The Lemon Tree – Aberdeen
19/05 – Tower Ballroom – Hull
20/05 – Cambridge Junction – Cambridge

The Libertines UK Tour Dates

11/06/2022 – Rock N Roll Circus – Newcastle
01/07 – Castlefield Bowl – Manchester
23/07 – Wembley Arena – London
05/08 – Bute Park – Cardiff
08/08 – O2 Academy – Edinburgh