2004 was an extraordinary and chaotic year in the life of Pete Doherty. Having made the running as front man with The Libertines, he was sacked from the band. His heroin addiction public, he careened into all manner of potentially damaging conflicts. When he re-emerged recently with Babyshambles, the hope was that he might have begun to clean up his act. But when hotpress finally caught up with him in Dublin, on the final date of the band's tour of the UK and Ireland, we were witness to some truly bizarre and troubling scenes. [Frontline report: Steve Cummins]
Plus: Amid rumour and counter rumour concerning the future of the band, Libertines drummer Gary Powell offers a no holds barred view of the damage inflicted by Pete Doherty's heroin addiction on the career of a band that had the world at its feet. [Interview: Paul Nolan]
When The Libertines' music is good, they’re fantastic, when it’s bad the effect is painful. ‘What Became Of The Likely Lads’ skirts dangerously between the two.
After years of pushing the self- destruct button, Pete Doherty has proved his detractors wrong with a solo album that's on a par with anything he did with the Libertines.
The man who signed The Smiths, Arcade Fire, The Libertines and The Strokes (to name but a few!) to his Rough Trade label, Geoff Travis makes a special appearance at the RDS on October 7.
For all his protests otherwise, more than a hint of Pete Doherty’s shadow hangs over fellow Libertine Carl Barat’s much anticipated comeback single. When Barat (who taught Doherty how to play guitar) sings lines such as “I gave you the Midas touch before you turned around and scratched out my heart” you can’t but bring to mind the duo’s tempestuous relationship. This though is no bad thing. The Libertines were at their best when telling it how it is, and like their last record, ‘Bang Bang You’re Dead’ feels like a front line report from Barat’s being. Musically the shambolic beauty of The Libertines remains, though thankfully without ever a hint of it all about to implode. The boy’s done good.
Rags frontman Danny Anderson’s gobby self-assurance may prove off-putting to some, yet to dismiss the Finglas five-piece outright is unjustified. Their recorded output is deserving of the hype that surrounds them and ‘Razors and Ropes’ is no exception. Easily digestible, yet utterly memorable, this compelling slice of Smiths-esque guitar-pop stands out as their finest recording to date. Its charm ultimately lies in Anderson’s deft lyrics and vocal delivery. Here, he channels his arrogance into an emotive anger rendered all the more persuasive by his tender, often fragile vocal style. It’s an approach which echoes Pete Doherty and The Libertines in particular. B-side ‘Owner Of A Loveless Life’ adds weight to such lofty comparisons. Dublin’s answer to The Libertines? Maybe. Certainly, The Rags are just as exciting.
From the ashes of The Libertines comes Dirty Pretty Things, Carl Barat's new band. But can Pete Doherty's old sparring partner escape the legacy of his old group?
The Hot Press Newsdesk are mightily impressed with the debut single by New Amusement, ‘Gone To Sea’, which is out this week on Dublin indpendent Another City.
If being a member of The Clash is enough to ensure one’s reputation for life, then Mick Jones more than any of them – even Strummer – has refused to rest on his laurels. As well as producing The Libertines, the past four years have seen him work alongside Tony James (Generation X, er.. Sigue Sigue Sputnik) in Carbon/Silicon. The terrible, literal, cover aside, it’s pretty good punk-pop, the sound of two men in their fifties who know that youthful posturing is beneath them yet still refuse to grow old.
Razorlight have catapulted to superstar status with their No. 1 single 'America'. As they prepare to wow Oxegen this weekend, we talk to mainman Johnny Borrell about cricket, saving the planet and dating Kirsten Dunst.
In 10 years time we’ll be looking back at The Libertines as the band that launched 100 other pretenders. The Paddingtons are the latest to take their call of punchy guitar lines and skewed vocals from Messer’s Doherty and Barât.
Though first emerging in the same wave of Brit garage bands as The Libertines, The Beat Up (formerly known as The Beatings) have only now gotten around to releasing their debut.
By now you’re probably aware that Arctic Monkeys really are as good as everyone’s making out. If you’re still sceptical, then just give ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ a whirl.
Confident, edgy, intelligent, witty – this is a record to get genuinely excited about. With a nod to Pete Doherty, front man Alex Turner drops observations on the seedier sides of life. In particular, he has a knack for breathing life into the characters he sings about. Like The Libertines, there’s a dark romantic undertone throughout. Impressive as previous singles ‘Fake Tales Of San Francisco’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor’ were, this is a great leap forward. The fact that Turner is still in his teens merely adds to how exciting their future looks. What a band.
Of the many affecting moments in the recent Arena Pete Doherty documentary, one that sticks out was the final, lengthy shot of Doherty travelling home after a gig, singing along dreamily to Radiohead’s ‘High And Dry’.
After seeing him lost in so many ways, it was rewarding to see him simply lost in music. And rewarding it is, too, to be able to write about Doherty as a musician rather than a red-top hellraiser. I’ve never really bought into all the artist of his generation stuff (The Libertines had a handful of admittedly memorable moments; Babyshambles have been pretty ropey across the board) but this might just be the turning point. For a start, it sounds like a proper record, well produced and actually featuring fully formed songs as opposed to the half-baked ideas of before. Good songs they are too, with three of the five tracks (‘The Blinding’, ‘Beg Steal Or Borrow’, ‘Sedative’] easily up there with his best work. Whether this creative upswing can continue will depend on a lot of obvious factors – this is a reminder of the living, breathing talent behind the tabloid titillation.
Discuss: The Libertines – one of the most exciting personality clashes since Mick & Keef/Strummer & Jones/Morrissey & Marr, or Jam-my dodgers in matching emperor’s new Sgt. Pepper suits who struck lucky with a couple of decent tunes?
Aw, who cares.
The less said about Adamczewski’s lyrics, the better: although plausibly intended as tongue-in-cheek, lines like ‘Aborted babies don’t get graves’ do him no favours.
They may not fit neatly alongside the sensations currently pouring out of London, but fresh-faced English rockers Thirteen Senses are nonetheless still brewing up a storm on the UK indie scene.
Disused Mexican banks, Little Britain, Pete Doherty and drunken Sky TV appearances are all on the agenda as Paul Nolan and his temperamental tape machine meet Carl and Didz from Dirty Pretty Things.
With Pete Doherty, Mani, Noel Gallagher and Alex Kapranos in their fan club, and a debut album that makes the Arctic Monkeys sound like jaded old has-beens, The View have ’07 by the short and curlies. Just don’t let them stay in your hotel.
The Charlatans have reclaimed their DIY ethic and released their latest album as a free digital download. It's a far cry from the days of booze, E, and backstage encounters with Madonna.
I can still hear their taunts – “Clark’s talking through his arse again!”... “It’s not the ’70s anymore, Granddad!”... “I had my suspicions but now I know you’re a wanker!”
As it was my mother saying it, that last one was particularly hurtful.
He’s been The Jam Man, The Cappuccino Kid and The Modfather. Now the proud father of a 17-year-old goth daughter, Paul Weller has taken a break from compositional chores to recharge his batteries with a new covers album, Studio 150.
They’ll never win any prizes for speaking the Queen’s English but, with a number one album under their belts, mop-topped Dundee rockers The View aren’t too bothered.
It’s been quite a year for PETE DOHERTY, the former Libertines frontman, and now leader of Babyshambles. 2005 featured a series of drug busts, failed rehab attempts, the tabloid witch hunt of his girlfriend Kate Moss, several non-appearances and live shows that fluctuated between agonising and ecstatic... oh, and the small matter of a debut album. As hotpress went to press, the news broke that Doherty had been busted yet again, barely two days out of an Arizona clinic. hotpress talks to Doherty’s label boss, Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis, tour photographer Danny Clifford, and former Babyshambles drummer Gemma Clarke, for the insiders' view on what’s becoming an increasingly sad and fearful saga.
They may refuse to play the media game, but whether it’s dating page three models, accepting awards dressed as the Village People or earning the ire of Keith Richards, there’s never a dull moment in the world of Alex Turner and Arctic Monkeys.
Anglo-Swedish indie rock’n’rollers Razorlight are on the verge of releasing their debut album. A catchy attack on mediocrity with vocals that linger in the head.
Never mind figgy puddings and partridges in pear trees, there’s some serious seasonal business to be done as the annual HP-7 summit gathers in the crucible of cultural discourse that is The Central Hotel’s Library Bar.
A pivotal figure within Dublin’s psycho-rock scene, he’s been threatening something special for some time, and praise be, The Sins of Sainte Catherine is a fine representation of his considerable talent.
30th Anniversary retrospective: From the murders of Tupac and Biggie to the bizarre implication of Marilyn Manson in the Columbine massacre; from Courtney, Axl and Spector’s falls from grace to the canonisation and demonisation of Peter Doherty... here’s a potted history of the most controversial events in the last 30 years of rock ‘n’ roll.
Recorded in the bucolic splendour of County Westmeath, Bloc Party's second album is a labyrinthine concept album about urban living. Better to take a risk, says frontman Kelé Okereke, than to repeat yourself .
So much has been written, spoken and, most importantly, blogged about Arctic Monkeys that it’s difficult to believe this is their debut album. The four piece’s incredible rise is, in the main, due to a Libertines-esque use of the Internet to spread their gospel without ever straying far from Sheffield.
One of the finest white soul voices Britain ever produced, Rod Stewart reminisces about the sozzled Faces days, discusses Bob Dylan, his penchant for blondes, and recalls the thyroid cancer that almost robbed him of his voice seven years ago.
[oops this was mis prompted as oxegen video interviews in our e-zine - they're here ]
The Kooks' first album was a million-selling sensation. As they unleash the long-awaited sequel, frontman Luke Pritchard talks about the death of his father, his feud with television presenter Simon Amstell and much more...
Clash legend Mick Jones, his Carbon/Silicon and Generation X counterpart Tony James, Elbow and The Flaws are among the stars set to appear at this year's Hot Press Chatroom at the Electric Picnic
Returning from an extended hiatus, Manic Street Preachers are in stridently upbeat form. In a revealing interview, they reflect on their enduring cultural imprint and talk about long lost Manic Richey Edwards.
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the dissection of the rock ‘n’ roll year that is the Hot Press Summit. Gathering round the table are the good and great of Irish music, but who let Podge & Rodge in?
Sussex five piece Mumma-Ra, named after a character from an ‘80s TV show but otherwise earnest to the tips of their skinny denims, wax drippy in extremis.
If you’ve heard the singles you’ve got a pretty good idea of what the album is like – rock tunes driven by staccato drums and three-chord guitar, delivered with plenty of attitude and passion.
Is this what we’ve come to? That Dogs’ record company think their unique selling point is Kate Moss picking one of their tunes for a cosmetics ad? Rock ‘n’ roll is dead and its corpse is starting to stink.
Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, or at least till it comes back. Saint Etienne are one of those bands who, like Teenage Fanclub, were hardly the subject of extensive search parties when missing in action yet now that they are back with us, are being greeted like long lost (rich) relatives.
Over three days, the cream of up-and-coming Irish and Scandinavian talent gave it their all. Killian Murphy picks out those that shone brightest. Click here. for live gallery.
Youthful Dundee rockers The View certainly make a virtue of economy; none of the fourteen tracks on their debut album venture past the four-minute mark, and only one makes it further than three-and-a-half.
This is the second album from The Rakes, their debut Capture/Release having reaped considerable critical acclaim, and even some modest chart success, in their native UK.
It may well be their fate to end up on some future compilation entitled The Classic Sounds of January 2007, but, for tonight at least, The Automatic are indie rock’s (ahem) undisputed heavyweight champions.
It's time for the birthday JD Set to celebrate Jack Daniel's birthday, where britrock legends Brett Anderson, Carl Barat and John McClure join forces for a unique collaboration - and talk bout media manipulation, Jade Goody and, aaah, premature deafness!
Music lovers of the world, unite and take over! Whether you play music, work in music, want a career in music or just love to listen, don’t miss Music Ireland ’07 – the country’s biggest music show and exhibition.
