"Pete Doherty has revealed that he and Carl Barat discussed plans to make an album and tour together after The Libertines reunited for a one-off gig in London in May."
On July 31st the above statement hit the Internet like a Katy Perry nip-slip...all over the place. Some, no doubt, would be on a bohemian cloud nine at this point with idealistic images of their Arcadian dream drifting poetically around there minds as they pull their military tunic form the depths of their wardrobe. For others, however, this statement, much like Miss Perry's unintended garment malfunctions, would have been greeted with the same disgust and disdain as it always has. Played out, dried up and now, not only irrelevant, but a bit bloody boring. Ask yourself, do you really care if The Libertines reform?
If we're talking the comfort of nostalgia then it's an easy one. 'Up The Bracket' and 'The Libertines' were records that defined a nation of identity searching youths who scoured music for some form of consolidation and rebellion in a time of need. Punk ideologies with a gritty indie sound, fronted by two charasmatic charming young urban poets seemed perfect, and it was. The United Kingdom hadn't seen that sort of uprising since the birth of punk in the late 1970s.
There was that sense of live fast and die young, felt both by the fans and the band. Who knew what The Libertines would do next? what hole they'd wake up in trying to piece together the events of the previous night. It was exciting and unpredictable, it was what British music had been looking for since Oasis sunk into a pit of becoming a parody of themselves.
The brilliance of songs such as 'Time For Heroes', 'Don't Look Back...' and 'What A Waster' have become songs of potency and legacy. We love these songs because they now define our youth (depending on how old you are obviously). They embody the trippy and raw essence of what was once Britain's most exciting act - fast and fucked up.
What with recent discussions regarding The Stone Roses and their constantly unsure yes-no reformation, the highly succesful Blur reunion and the Pixies storming various show stopping sets, the topic of reforming, reuniting and regenerating what once was once great is now a hot topic in the music biz - all be it for various reasons. But is it worth trying to revive something that was, for the most of it, such hard work?
Regardless of your Doherty related opinions, be he brilliant or be he bullshit, this is a rejuvination of four people, not just one. Hassel now has the quite bad Yeti to keep warm and comfortable, Barat, well we don't really no know what he's got at the moment, Gary, yep same answer, and Pete has Babyshambles, his solo career and a troupe of adoring females following him wherever he wanders, praising him as Dylan or some sort of modern literairy genius, and that, right there, is part of the problem.
I'm all for iconic, lustful figures in music. Marc Bolan and Mick Jagger had more females following them than Hefner, but for good reason. Now it seems like Pete Doherty has become glorified as a godly figure who encapsulates all that is great about music when in fact his skatty, under produced attempts are nothing but the ramblings of a lost boy whose hype rarely lives up to its reality.
By raving about Doherty's supposedly infinate potential and 'rock star' facade he's become an image of disapointment. Constantly churning out mediocre melodies and unsatisfactory performances should be shunned and not commended. Since when did any other act recieve a fair cop when they turned up late, pissed and incoherent? Maybe John Martyn, but that's different, he actually gave something back. Doherty's become self obsessed, narcistic and cares about no one but himself - and that is the fucking truth.
The second problem that then occurs is money. Yep, the one thing that can cause rifts in an empty room. Money is one of the primary reasons why this band will reform. Doherty's pissed his royalties up the wall right next to his blood-painted poetry, John has clearly invested it in the bland Yeti and Carl, well, he doesn't really have any. Be it both cliche and cringe, the last reason that people should reform is for money because no matter how much they resist or fight it, their hearts will be firmly dislodged and their priorities will be unsettled and unjustified.
We want to see bands reform because they've settled their differences and taken on their problems as one, not as a separate group of profit derby individuals who happen to be playing a show together.
Now I don't doubt that if the reunion occurs the shows will be epic. Firstly it gives everyone that opportunity to re-live what at first they couldn't. They are given the chance to bask in those holy anthems, sweat, blood an' all. But, and this is just a but, will The Libertines not be in any danger of becoming a covers bands of themselves? What was once washed up and dead, left in its swirling mystery will now be readily available. That's like knowing the meaning of life, it would just ruin everything.
Part of the reason why we love The Libertines so much is that it's now untouchable to us, a mystery of unknown Arcadia. Our hearts ache because we can't have them but we want them. What's to say if we could have them...wouldn't we be disappointed and under-nourished with a shit storm of paradoxical numb-nuts parading around with unjustified self-belief and guitars? It seems a little scary.
People have constantly debated the Oasis situation. Should they have quit after Knebworth? blah blah blah. And honestly, I think they should have, but that's just me. Say a year down the line and The Libertines are up and about, headlinning festivals and playing the O2...the love and the romance is gone, and not only gone, but well and truely shat on by a profit hungry gang of industry bods who don't care about the unreleased tracks, the better-than-album b-sides and the whole fucking dream of having something that seems no more accessible to you than it is to the next guy or girl.
I for one would not like to see Pete and co reform. I've thought about. At first it was an exciting idea - finally, I thought, I will be able to witness this greatness and the enigma of this act who've painted an audio picture for me but have always been out of my reach. But isn't the enigma and greatness of this band kept great by not knowing, by waiting and hoping and by, finally or though rather ironically, never knowing.
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