The Libertines played their overly anticipated reunion gig at the BST last night with periodical pauses due to the crowd being too rowdy.
Security officers approached Barat and Doherty during their set to warn them that they would be stopped if the crowd did not calm down. After opening with ‘Vertigo’ the band were cut short midway through their second song ‘Boys In The Band’ by security. Doherty addressed the crowd repeating that ‘We can’t carry on if you don’t calm down a bit’ only to be stopped again moments later. The Libertines drummer Gary Powell addressed the crowd and began chanting the riff of The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’.
Later in their set, fans were caught climbing the speaker towers resulting in a third visit from security on stage, at this point only Doherty and Barat were on stage to finish with a duet of ‘France’. Barat and Doherty grew weary of the stoppages and told the crowds that Doherty cannot do a solo with the fan’s climbing the towers, resulting Barat and Doherty not fully completing the song.
At the end of the gig The Libertines reunited on the stage and saluted their audience with Doherty expressing ‘Libertine till I die, Libertine till I die, I know I am, I’m sure I am, Queen’s Park Rangers till I die’. Powell told fans ‘you are amazing and you are all Libertines’ before the now reunited foursome left the Main Stage.
In scenes familiar to last weekend’s Glastonbury lightning incident, news of a technical fault at the Barclaycard theatre has hindered several performances which have been cancelled or rescheduled. Yesterday, Swim Deep and Graham Coxon were pulled due to faults leaving Coxon’s set being cut entirely.
Today it is McBusted headlining but their supporting acts had been cancelled including Lawson and Five. Young Kato, Hollywood Ending and Whetus had all been rescheduled to different stages and the festival organisers have issued an apology stating “We apologies to the fans attending today for any inconvenience and disappointment this may cause”. Neil Young and Tom Jones are still to headline on the 12th and 13th, as yet no comment of further cancellations has been announced.
