The Libertines // Manchester Albert Hall // 7th November 2024
The Libertines are back in Manchester, touring a new record and taking on shows up and down the country with renewed vigour: The Libertines are back, for good.
The band took on Manchester last week with the first of a triple bill at the iconic Albert Hall. The room is grandiose and glorious, rather fitting for a band who are British rock royalty at this point. They’re a few minutes fashionably late and the noise in the old building is reaching fever pitch before a note is struck.
Some bands just connect with people, and The Libertines are very much one of these groups – the room is filled to the rafters with die-hard fans, belting out every syllable of every song from the first cymbal crash to the last lingering chord.
Libs tear through tune after tune: there is no messing here, the band are here to play. B-sides like ‘The Delaney’ mix brilliantly with established Libertines numbers. The Likely Lads are masters of their craft at this point and when mixed with a core of die-hard fans, the gig is raucous from the get-go.
Even softer numbers like ‘What Katie Did’ inspire momentous singalongs from the front of the pit to the back of the balcony: in such a magical room, it is truly something to behold.
There is a small orchestra sitting in the Albert Hall rafters, just to the right above the stage. Each member is kitted out in the 00’s red military jacket and while the noise is soft and sensitive, they accompany The Libertines with deft touches of nuance and sonic depth.
‘Merry Old England’, ‘You’re My Waterloo’ and ‘Music When The Lights Go Out’ form a core of nostalgic reverie: there are fans of all ages, parents and kids, middle-aged blokes reliving their prime, tastemakers with mullets and everyone in between. The sheer diversity in age is remarkable, for a band with over 20 years past since their debut release, they are still a mainstay in British rock culture: it speaks to their enduring quality.
There is a seven-song encore, consisting of hit after hit after hit. Their years in the wilderness can make a fan forget just how many Libertines songs you know and love ‘Last Post’, ‘Gunga Din’ and ‘What A Waster’ all make appearances before we’re closed out with a stirring rendition of ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’.
It’s a glorious night of indie nostalgia from a band who are hitting unexpected peaks this deep into their career. Not to mention the room choice: three nights at the Albert Hall is far better than a one-off in the arena: there’s a real romance about the place, which suits the whole affair down to the ground.
Words: Charlie Brock
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