Pete Doherty - Junction, Cambridge - Sunday 8th May 2011 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Written by Katie Territt
Pete Doherty. A man so surrounded by hype, media hysteria and assumed negativity that his music and talent seem to fall by the wayside. He certainly knows how to split opinion, and those who sit on the love side of the fence helped to pack out Cambridge Junction on Sunday night for a sold out show on Pete's current solo tour.
Having been a while since Pete released any new solo material, it was no surprise that his set relied heavily on Libertines songs - and let's be honest, that's what the crowd were hoping for. Strolling onstage with nothing but an acoustic guitar, Pete launched into Libertines classic 'What A Waster', spurring a mass crowd sing-a-long - a frenzied start for the more than up for it crowd. Keeping the fans happy, 'Can't Stand Me Now' was pulled out next. A great stripped down version which although sounded awesome, didn't have quite the sparkle of seeing Pete and Carl singing it together. Yet again, the crowd sang every word back at Pete and made it clear that they were more than happy for a Libertines-heavy set list.
Before Pete had a chance to play the first note of the next song, a giant cuddly panda was thrown on stage, prompting him to joke that it was his first stage invasion. Once the panda had been thrown back into the crowd, its place on stage was taken by two ballet dancers either side of Pete to accompany him through a gorgeous rendition of solo single 'Last Of The English Roses'. The on-form Pete once again joked with the crowd at the end of the song, thanking them for coming and saying goodbye before reverting back to The Libertines' back catalogue for 'Music When The Lights Go Out'. Sticking with the ever popular formula, a huge sing-a-long ensued next with 'What Katie Did', Pete leaving the crowd to sing the infamous "shoop, shoop, shoop de-lang, de-lang" sections whilst his ballet dancers came back on to fan him during the remainder of the song.
Pete turned to his Babyshambles days next with a stripped down, slightly adapted acoustic version of 'Killamangiro' which reverted at the end into a few bars of 'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight', before he pleased the crowd once again with Libertines classic 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun'. The crowd reaction took a slight downturn next with the appearance of a couple of Pete's solo songs. It was completely clear at this point what the crowd wanted to hear, with the singing along down to a minimum and the chatting up to a maximum. Luckily it wasn't long before Pete woke the crowd up and whipped them into yet another frenzy with possibly the best few minutes of the gig - the awesome 'Time For Heroes' followed by 'Up The Bracket' - two songs which in my opinion totally encompass Pete Doherty as a musician and performer.
Back to his Babyshambles material, Pete sung his way through 'Arcady' and what was only the second live performance ever of '32nd Of December', the only song of his non-Libertines material which got a real excited reaction from the crowd. After a quick venture into the large crowd, Pete was back up onstage joined once again by his ballet dancers for a beautiful version of his Wolfman guest slot single, 'For Lovers'. The song ended with a smooth blend into The Libertines' 'Tell The King' before the regular set was topped off with a quick QPR chant, Doherty clearly excited by the team's recent championship win!
After the obligatory break, Pete returned to the stage complete with trademark hat, and accompanied by Alan Wass, lead singer of support band Lipstick Melodies. Wass played harmonica, whilst a Cambridge local joined them onstage with his tin whistle, and the trio played their way through 'Albion', the only song of the encore. With just a slight interruption of a real stage invasion by two “brave” fans, 'Albion' was a perfect finish which ended with a crowd singsong to the few lines of 'Twist and Shout' that Pete slipped in at the end. With a quick rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to a member of his crew, Pete finally injected his last bit of Doherty flair by throwing his mic into the crowd and leaving the stage.
So what of the drug-fuelled, inconsistent performer that is Pete Doherty? Well quite frankly he seems to have disappeared. In his place is a cleaner, more sober, and well on form artist that played a set full of some of his best music and lyrics that have talked to, and meant so much to so many people over the last 9 or so years. An accomplished performer who can draw in a crowd by purely standing on a stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar. If ever there was a person who could prove their doubters wrong, then Pete is him. There wasn't a hint of OTT hype or unjust criticism, there was just a performer who was on top form, sounded and looked great, and put on an almost flawless show for the die hard fans that have clearly been there through thick and thin. If Pete can stay out of the wrong side of the media and concentrate on his music, then he'll certainly be around for a long time because he's a raw talent who doesn't get the true recognition he deserves for the right reasons.
All in all, a fantastic gig, and a true representation of the real Pete Doherty who finally seems to be letting his music and performing do the talking!
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Pete turned to his Babyshambles days next with a stripped down, slightly adapted acoustic version of 'Killamangiro' which reverted at the end into a few bars of 'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight', before he pleased the crowd once again with Libertines classic 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun'. The crowd reaction took a slight downturn next with the appearance of a couple of Pete's solo songs. It was completely clear at this point what the crowd wanted to hear, with the singing along down to a minimum and the chatting up to a maximum. Luckily it wasn't long before Pete woke the crowd up and whipped them into yet another frenzy with possibly the best few minutes of the gig - the awesome 'Time For Heroes' followed by 'Up The Bracket' - two songs which in my opinion totally encompass Pete Doherty as a musician and performer. 
