My how the tables have turned. When The Libertines burnt out towards the end of 2004, Carl Barat – through no fault of his own – seemed destined to live forever in the shadow of his enigmatic and decidedly more infamous former band mate.
By the time the split was announced, Pete Doherty had already moved on to Babyshambles and tabloid villainy.
Barat, meanwhile, spent most of the following year in the throes of a deep and creatively stifling depression.
Roll on 2006, however, and the fortunes of the duo have reversed. Doherty’s career in music has grown from baby shambles to full blown shambles. Worryingly, his mental health is in tatters, ripped apart by incessant drug abuse. Barat, in contrast, looks thoroughly refreshed, his creativity restored and, now, channeled into new band Dirty Pretty Things.
Tonight, the tiny confines of Cork’s Cyprus Avenue mark the band’s first Irish and UK date. For the most part, it’s a triumph.
Opening with the reggae rock of ‘Deadwood’, DPT, it is clear, are a far tighter, less shambolic outfit than Babyshambles. They retain some of the ragged spirit of The Libertines; tracks such as ‘Gin And Milk’ and ‘You Fucking Love It’ see Barat clearly enjoying a creative high.
If there is a criticism, it is that, for all of Barat’s fantastic guitar playing, the music too often lacks a melodic punch.
There are moments when the new material notably fails to hold the audience’s attention and the band must reach for such Libertines favourites as ‘Death On The Stairs’, ‘I Get Along’ and a sombre ‘France’.
The best of the new stuff arrives late in the set. One highlight is forthcoming debut single ‘Bang Bang (You’re Dead)’. The track comes on like a thinly-veiled attack on Doherty, with its lyric of 'Bang bang you’re dead/the boy who’s so easily led'.
All in all, a welcome return.