By: David de Young
 |
|
The Libertines perform at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis - Photo by David de Young (click for full size)
|
One thing is for sure, however. Over the past few months Doherty has been somewhat ferociously forging a new path for himself with his other band, Babyshambles, who performed in London at Kings Cross Scala just two days prior to the Libertines Fine Line performance in Minneapolis Friday night. (http://www.nme.com/news/110109.htm.) That gig appears to have been suitably well-received and even included a couple of Libertines songs, including one of my new favorites, “What Katie Did,” a song that was conspicuously absent from The Libertines Friday night gig at the Fine Line..
Doherty not performing with the Libertines, however, made about as much difference as it did when they made their first Minnesota appearance at the 7th Street Entry in August of 2003: The band does just fine without him. That being said, I’m at risk of writing the same review I did last year.
What were the differences? This year: A bigger venue, more fans, more exposure and probably just as much hype. The bonus: About twice as much material to draw from now that the band’s sophomore release, the self-titled album “The Libertines” is also available.
Through 19 songs and 4 encores the boys put on a solid show that only occasionally drifted off target. As the energy level in the club seemed to have its ups and downs, I had suspicions that the crowd may not have been as familiar with the second album as the first. And to those who say the second release is not as good as the band’s highly-praised debut, in this case I counter that it is in fact as good and probably more diverse; but the problem with having such a strong first album is that people expect or want you to outdo yourselves with the second. The second album is far more likely to make its way into my CD player lately. Both the Libertines and The Strokes did well to basically put out more of the same the second time around since if it ain’t broke, why break it? But in contrast to The Strokes, The Libertines are one over-hyped band that consistently deliver what the hype-makers say they do.
Oh, and lest I forget, openers Brooklyn's Radio 4 put on a show much like The Killers, infusing dance riffs with early 80's new wave nostalgia, with the minor difference that in contrast to The Killers, they can actually sing, their lyrics aren't inane, and they don't suck live.
Related link: Billboard review of August 17th, 2004 show at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC
Location Info:
Fine Line Music Café
Artist Info: The Libertines
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus