Live Review: The Libertines - Cardiff University Great Hall, 7th October 2024

Following a road-test of new material with an intimate run of tour dates earlier this year, The Libertines were back on a much grander scale, all in support of their recently released album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. 

Needing no introductions, the band have soundtracked our airwaves and sticky indie-dance floors for the best part of 2 decades. And despite all the trials and tribulations that have met them along the way, it's still clear to see why they've achieved such a legend status.

9 months on from their last performance in the capital, they now had a fourth studio album under their belts and were set about showcasing it with all the charisma, tension, and musical ferocity that launched them into fame over twenty years ago.

Out from the rain, battering its way down on the Cardiff streets, there was a storm of its very own brewing up inside the Great Hall. And as Pete's trilby hat peered from the side of the stage, fans may very well have benefited from leaving their coats on to avoid the hurled pint cups that were quickly launched around the room. I guess proceedings had began.

Thrown straight in to nostalgia, the classics came thick and fast as The Delaney, What Became of the Likely Lads and Boys in the Band kicked things off.

Songs from their 2024 album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade added an exciting layer to the performance, offering insight into the Libertines' musical growth. Tracks like Shiver showed the band exploring more mature, reflective themes while maintaining their signature sound—a mix of punk energy with a wistful, poetic lyricism, followed quickly by the brilliant Night of the Hunter, a soft number that showcased their joint vocal harmonies in blistering fashion.

It's safe to say these new songs resonated well with the audience, suggesting that the band's fanbase has evolved alongside them, eager for both the old anthems and the newer, introspective material. And this feeds in to the band's energy with Pete and Carl regularly sharing a moment as they battled guitars together and hugged. This era might just be the healthiest the band have looked and it really showed in their musicianship on stage.

With a roller-coaster set-list packed to the rafters, following a raucous display of a jubilant Run Run Run, a perfectly fitting tune that explores themes of hedonism, escapism, and the fleeting nature of happiness, the signature drum intro to Can't Stand Me Now quickly illuminated the room as a sea of phones reached upwards for a glimpse of the band ready to flood the socials.

As Pete launched his harmonica in to the crowd, the encore beckoned. That's not before percussionist Gary Powell came before the mic to exclaim his love for Wales as he walked off beaming in smile. 

With a short break, soundtracked by much cheer from a crowd eager for more, the band returned for a monstrous 6-track encore that saw them charge through new album track's such as Man With the Melody and Oh Shit, saving the big guns for last as Don't Look Back Into the Sun took the energy inside to a new level as flailing arms and bodies crashed in to one another.

The Libertines' Cardiff show was not just a nostalgia trip for those who have followed them since their beginnings, but also an affirmation of their continued relevance in the indie rock scene. The mixture of early hits, mid-career tracks, and new material showed that the band is capable of looking both backwards and forwards. Their ability to engage a crowd—whether through chaotic, punk-infused moments or more tender, introspective songs—proves that they remain a band to watch, even as they enter a new chapter of their career.

The Libertines played
The Delaney
What Became of the Likely Lads
Boys in the Band
What Katie Did
The Good Old Days
Up the Bracket
Vertigo
Shiver
Night of the Hunter
Merry Old England
Death on the Stairs
Music When the Lights Go Out
Horrorshow
Be young/Have a Friend
Mustangs
Run Run Run
Can't Stand Me Now

Encore:
Man With the Melody
Oh Shit
Gunga din/Last Post On The Bugle
Time for Heroes
Songs They Never Play on the Radio
Don't Look Back Into the Sun