The Libertines, Hyde Park

In music, some pairs are just better together. Nothing they produce by going their separate ways can compare to the sum of their parts. From Lennon and McCartney to Morrissey and Marr, from Albarn and Coxon to… Gallagher and Gallagher? Their solo prowess can’t be doubted, but their joint efforts are their masterpieces. The Libertines are one such act; after feeble offerings from Doherty’s Babyshambles (the clue is in the name) and Barat’s Dirty Pretty Things, fans would always be longing for those halcyon days circa 2002, where the band with their own special brand of bohemian patriotism captured the hearts and minds of many a lost music fan.

Following a tumultuous and short-lived career, producing two near-perfect LPs, The Libertines couldn’t take the strain and finally combusted amid well-documented personal problems between Pete and Carl. Not even the strongest friendship could survive drug addiction, robberies, relationships with A-list stars, illegitimate children and the pressure of new-found fame. After a brief successful reunion at Reading and Leeds festival in 2010, the group disappeared again, until out of the blue a Facebook post told fans to save the date: on July 5th 2014 the good ship Albion would sail again. Disappointingly, nothing about this gig could be further from their roots jamming in the boys’ Bethnal Green gaff for 20 people. Hyde Park would be one of their biggest shows to date, sponsored by Barclaycard with a VIP Golden Circle and discounted tickets for their customers; the epitome of corporate sponsorship. Ten years ago no one would have predicted this for The Libertines.

The excitement in the air is palpable, and although the Hyde Park set up does encourage punters who just want to turn up to get pissed in a field, it seems that most of the crowd are genuine fans who really want to see the boys pull this off. A montage of old photos, familiar to those in the audience who were there for the Reading and Leeds reunion, is displayed across the three enormous screens, before four men who bear resemblance to the band we knew and loved in 2002 take to the stage, launching straight into Vertigo. As the first bars of Boys in the Band chime into life, the plug is pulled and the crowd urged to move back due to a massive crowd surge (echoing what had happened an hour earlier during the Pogues performance). Eventually the crowd realise that is Pete Doherty is telling you to stop something because it might be dangerous, you should probably listen. Undeterred, they restart the song and continue.

So far, the set is sounding triumphant, as they reel off further classics The Delaney and Campaign of Hate, slowing the tempo for a moment. The songs may be old but The Libertines sound fresh and confident, with all the renewed energy of four friends reuniting over a love of music. The camaraderie between Doherty and Barat is perfection, making everyone wonder why they ever parted ways in the first place. Their anthem Time For Heroes generates another crowd surge, with fireworks and flares being launched in multiple directions. The screens fade to black as the gig is once again paused for ‘safety concerns’. Apparently if you let 60,000 people wait around for their favourite band all day with unlimited access to booze, they end up doing stupid things, who knew?

All this stop-starting is making for a slightly tense crowd, so they are jubilant as the band re-emerge to play Horrorshow, their two and a half minute pseudo-punk masterpiece. Maybe as a resolve to calm the crowd down with a slower pace, or maybe just as they’re saving the best songs until last, the play fillers Begging and The Ha Ha Wall as many members of the audience take a break to queue for the loo or buy another overpriced beer. They’re back on track next however, as Hype Park is treated to a sing-along of Music When the Lights Go Out and What Katie Did, Barat sauntering around the stage for the duration of the latter. As the entire crowd croons ‘shoop shoop, shoop doo lang doo lang’, it’s easy to remember how great this band were at bringing even the most unlikely people together.

The Libertines are powering through an amazing greatest hits set (they play 23 songs in total) , from across their two albums, including The Boy Looked at Johnny , Can't Stand Me Now, Death on the Stairs and Don't Look Back Into the Sun. The ten years which have passed have somewhat dated the band as their unique brand of defiant patriotism has lost its place in the modern psyche; wistfully looking back to the good old days of England just isn’t cool any more. Likewise, the DIY aesthetic of the band in their pre-internet early years is lost as they swagger about on the gigantic stage. After an electrifying run of Don't Look Back Into the Sun, Tell the King, Up the Bracket and What a Waster, the gig comes to another halt as the band try to deter people from climbing up the screens which have been rigged further back into the audience. The band seems slightly exasperated at this point; they’re meant to be watching The Libertines playing their triumphant homecoming gig, not engaging in petty vandalism. It’s not quite enough to kill the atmosphere, as Pete sings the crowd’s praises by leading an impromptu version of Babyshambles’ Albion, adding Carl’s hometown of Basingstoke into the chorus.

They end on a riotous version of I Get Along, sending the now-weary crowd into a final frenzy. The four band members join arms to bow in unison, before Pete leads a chorus of the Hokey Cokey. In typical Pete and Carl fashion, the pair share microphone to recite Siegfried Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in the Trenches’ in an emotional final moment before they leave the stage.

The debate amongst fans about whether the band should have made a comeback, whether this would live up to their long distant memories of those early years still rages on. The size of the venue meant this was never going to be their best show ever, and it seems a shame that they had to choose this kind of corporate event to launch their comeback. But for me, this gig bettered my expectations; the band was tight, the dynamic between the two frontmen was as perfect as ever, the set list was perfect and the crowd was receptive and appreciative. The tale of the two soulmates whose dreams were pulled apart by the stress and strains of their relationship continues, and with a European tour and new album on the way, who knows where it might lead next.

The Libertines, Hyde Park, London July 5th 2014