Could they be any more rock? The Libertines are it, end of story. Singer guitarist Carl Barat is a star. Headlining the Cornerstone Player 5th Anniversary Party last night along with The Bravery and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, the Libs stormed through a set of hits that ran like a NME Top 10 List. Despite not having singer guitarist Pete Doherty with them for the show, the band proved they are more than the drama that is their rock & roll sideshow life.
The tunes are solid. “Can’t Stand Me Now”, “What A Waster”, “Don’t Look Back In To The Sun”, “Up the Bracket”, “Boys In the Band”. The attitude is legit. The booze is evident. They live it like they love it. Add to that a lead singer who has jail time on his record and is unable to leave the UK due to charges pending for possession of a knife and you have a taste of the Libertine lore.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are the dream three man band. Drums, guitar, bass, beards. They are pros. The Bravery, unsigned and heavily courted, started things off with some electro disco-octave bass lines but ended up more guitar driven by the end of their set. They will be on TRL in about 6 months.
The crowd was packed. Adam Green, James Iha, The Fever, Robbers on High Street, The Sounds, Lyor Cohen, Jason Flom, Jeremy P. Goldstein, the Queer Eye dude from FUSE, and the usual industry lackeys pounding free beer and rum at the bar. Saves the Day and Midtown graced the crowd emo-stizz.
Like Woodstock 35 years earlier to the day, it was an experience. You had to be there.
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