Gordon in the morning: Some sort of prize is called for

There is one wonderful moment in the Sun's coverage of the NME awards.

There's a photo of Carl Barat wearing a jacket.

And the caption?

Rocking the leather look ... Carl Barat

Really? "Rocking the leather look"? Presumably the massive party thrown to celebrate the withdrawal of James Murdoch from their boss class must have left the subs bench off their game.

Libertines re-coagulate, claims Mirror

It depends how much credence you put in an exclusive credited to a "music industry source", but it looks like The Libertines might be about to try theirs and their fan's patience once again.

A music industry source reveals: “Pete and Carl really enjoyed reforming the band last year for the Reading and Leeds festivals. Now Pete’s out of prison and trying to stay clean, getting the band back together is his main priority.

“Fortunately Carl is open to the idea of touring and getting back to what they were famous for. So long as Pete is relatively on the straight and ­narrow, the world is their oyster.”

I'm not sure "a desperate bid to cash-in on dwindling affection due to the failure of any attempts to build an audience doing something else" is quite what they're famous for. Yet, anyway.

Gordon in the morning: Curse him, he's right

Credit where it's due: this morning, Gordon Smart gets The Libertines story right while the NME comes across all print the legend.

Smart boils yesterday's press conference to the big idea behind the reunion:

PETE DOHERTY admitted yesterday he has been persuaded to reform THE LIBERTINES because the £1.2million fee will pay off his tax bill.
[...]
Pete said at the press conference: "What's appealing about the money is what's left after tax obviously. Which turns out is just enough to pay last year's bill."

The NME seems to have left that bit out in its extensive coverage of the reunion. But then if their reunion special edition had gone 'why get back together?' 'it's the cash' it might have taken a bit of the shine off the event.

The Libertines hold a press conference

The best place to keep an eye on the still-unfolding Libertines comeback press conference is the @Libertines stream:

Carl - it's something I've been dreaming about six years that I can go onstage and say we're the Libertines

Hmm. Really?

I wish I could be more excited about the idea of the Libertines reuniting, but have a nasty feeling it's going to be more like the revival of Monster Munch. Actually, scratch that - the Pickled Onion ones are as good as ever - so it's more like the bringing back of Arctic Roll; the only thing really going for it was that it was of its time, and has become surrounded in a slanket of nostalgia.

Had Dirty Pretty Things had the breakthrough they deserved, and/or Babyshambles been a bit more baby, a lot less shambles, maybe this would look a little more like a reunion driven by affection. Instead, there's a feeling that this might not be happening if petrol hadn't got so expensive recently.

Carl Barat leaves open 2011 Libertines reunion

On the long-scale of reunion likelihood, running from The Smiths netherworld of impossibility to Madness' perpetual reformation, you can nudge the Libertines a couple of inches towards Madness. Carl Barat is making noises that he might consider it some time next year.

In unrelated news, Carl Barat's 'income/outgoing expenditure spreadsheet' has announced that the way things are going, the money might run out some time in 2011.

Luckily, there might be room in the diary:

"It's not definite definite. I can say 2011, but it's hard to plan the Libertines until next Tuesday. But 2011 is where there's room for that to happen. So if everything's all right, then, yeah, it would be glorious to get on the old jacket and venture forth, into the known."

It's not clear if there's an element of 'yeah, we must meet up this time - right now is tricky for me... how about some time before the end of recorded time?' to this. It's unlikely Pete Doherty makes firm plans more than about two hours in advance.

Decade Null: 2004 - The Libertines

You can't really do the last decade and totally ignore the Libertines, can you? So let's not paint Pete Doherty out of history entirely. From The Libertines self-titled debut album, Carl Barat does a solo reading of Can't Stand Me Now for Rolling Stone.

Okay, we're painting Doherty out a little.



[Part of Decade Null 2004]

[UPDATE: Thanks to Danbut for pointing out that I'd totally forgotten the existence of Up The Bracket]

Barat to Doherty: Don't look forward in excitement

As the last of September ebbed away, Pete Doherty was telling everyone the Libertines were coming back, back, back:

“I think we’re gonna make a record, and tour. Get the Libertines to take it to the next step, next stage. Next year.”

This comes as news to Carl Barat, who can't get away to marry you today, as his life won't let him:

"I'm too busy next year. Maybe the year after that," he said. "See how it goes. When it needs to happen, it will fall into place. It's more a way of life than a band for me. I’m not going to jump up there and play the songs for some money – if it feels right then it will fall into place."

Admittedly, he didn't say "over my dead body", or "when Nick Clegg becomes Prime Minister", but there's a suggestion that he's not quite so excited by the prospect of reuniting with Pete. "Maybe we'll see how things look for 2011" couldn't be a more effective brushing-off if it came with a tray to collect crumbs and was followed by a little buffing.

And I'm sure the bit about doing it for money wasn't meant to make it sound like, ooh, some other people are desperate to get back together so they can stop relying on collecting the empties at the Black Dog And Handle to scrape enough for a kebab on the way home. I'm sure.

The Libertines reform... up to a point

Exciting - or, possibly, depressing, myth-killing news - from the NME this morning:

Pete Doherty has confirmed his plan to reform The Libertines to play UK festivals in 2010.

Really? They're reforming next summer? How on earth did Pete persuade Carl to get involved?

The Babyshambles frontman told NME.COM that he had already convinced former bandmates John Hassall [bass] and Gary Powell [drums] to reunite for gigs, and that as soon as Carl Barat agreed, dates would be finalised.

Ah. So Pete's plan would seem to be 'announce it to the press, then back Carl into a corner where he can't really say no without looking like an evil dream-killing villain. There's nothing like a reunion at knife-point, is there?

The comeback, by the way, is entirely motivated by artistic impulse and nothing whatsoever to do with the sluggish sales of Doherty's solo work.

Barat makes solo return

Dirty Pretty Things pretty much done - save for one last fleeting farewell gig - Carl Barat is preparing his solo career. First business? support for Glasvegas in Hollywood.

Is it just me, but with a gig on Santa Monica Boulevard and that shades-on Buzzcocks appearance, haven't Glasvegas managed to catapult themselves to the 'slightly disappointing' status that it took years and years of diminishing self-awareness for Primal Scream to achieve?

Dirty Pretty no longer Things

Carl Barat's post-Libertines adventure, Dirty Pretty Things, are calling it a day. There's a statement:

01/10 Dirty Pretty Things Official Announcement
It is with some sadness we announce the farewell of the Dirty Pretty Things. It's been a glorious three years which we all would gladly live out again, but it is time for us to try new things. (not The Libertines). We are reluctant to give up touring but will give the last waltz everything. We have and are determined to go out as we came in, after which we all have other ventures to be getting on with and splendid future plans. Heartfelt thanks to all who made it what it was, much love and we'll see you on the road.

The "not The Libertines", you suspect, might be telling here - although a perfectly great band in their own right, it must have been grinding knowing there's always a part of your following who really hope you're going to get back with your ex.

That, Carl, is showbiz

Carl Barat wants Mark Ronson to do some work for him, but is having trouble getting his attention:

"I wanna do a track with him for this film about northern soul music," the Dirty Pretty Things star told BBC 6 Music. "[But] I can't get hold of him. Maybe he is ignoring me, I don’t know."

Good plumbers and flavour of the month superstar producers. You'll never get them to return your calls.

Still, there are other people who will turn up for anything:

Barat also revealed that he is making a dub reggae record with Jon McClure from Reverend And The Makers.

If it's not any good, they're going to abandon it. Although Barat hasn't provided any data on where the bar is being set.

Glastonbury paper round: Some people think she's just a pair of tits

"Some people think she's just a pair of tits", you know. Yes, Gordon Smart surpasses himself by running a photo of Dolly Parton that looks like something you would have seen in a swingers' magazine.

He pushes his point home home in the story:

GLASTONBURY chiefs have been promising us a BIG surprise guest on Sunday.

But I didn’t realise they meant the size of her boobs.

Do you see? She has breasts! Ha ha ha! Breasts!

Smart also runs the exciting news of Libertines reunion:

Libertines set to reunite at Glastonbury

Really?

Oh, no. It's a guess:

A source said: “Carl and Pete are writing together and are keen to test the songs. Carl’s acoustic show on Sunday would be ideal.”

A guess which, over in the Daily Star, is being strongly ruled out by Carl Barat:

“I’d like to check out Pete’s set if it doesn’t clash with mine but at the same time I don’t feel well enough to deal with all the attention that might get me – if the fans spotted me they’d probably want us to get up on stage.”

The Mail spots Amy Winehouse shopping for alcohol and Euro 2008 stickers:

perhaps a gift for the many young fans who regularly wait outside the singer's north London home

(Why would you give your fans pictures of footballers? Why would that be your first guess?)

The paper is sure she'll be at Glastonbury, having got it from the horse's mouth:

Meanwhile, Michael Eavis has given the clearest hint yet that Winehouse will be well enough to perform at this year’s Glastonbury festival.

The festival’s 72-year-old founder revealed last night that he was looking forward to seeing Miss Winehouse’s scheduled performance on Saturday more than any other.

An offer of a helicopter to fly her in and out of Glastonbury to assure her the minimum of stress has also been put in place.

Of course, given that Eavis had been confidently predicting a sell-out and a dry festival, you might want to take that with a giant salt lick.

Lucy Bannerman in The Times warns that rain might be the least of fans' problems this year:

[T]he element to fear this year may not be water, but wind.

Those who have pitched tents on the site at 900-acre Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, will have to steel themselves for strong southwesterly winds, which are predicted throughout the festival. Light showers are also expected today and tomorrow, but campers should escape the torrential downpours that have blighted previous years. Temperatures will hang around the 19C (66F) to 20C mark.

The Somerset County Gazette counters that, actually, you should fear water, too:

[A]t the time of writing, the heavens have opened and festival-goers have been told to prepare for the mires of deep puddles and sticky mud.

What of the bands, though? The regional presses go for local heroes. The Daily Record ignores the Jay-Z hoo-hah and the will she won't she Wineshe, and reveals who the star of the event will be:

Derek Meins

Who he?

Scots Indie Singer Plans To Take Glastonbury By Storm

Oddly, the Glasgow paper chooses to focus on a down-page act on the Greenpeace stage rather than, say, bigger Scottish names. But then maybe that's understandable - would you really want to claim the Fratellis as your own?

Preparing for their slot, the Fratellis moan to the Guardian about their image:

[T]hey're reviled by many for the very reasons others love them. And that greatly annoys Lawler, who, as the middle-class son of two teachers, probably has more in common with the Fratellis' critics than with the people who buy their records.

"You can't pick your fans, can you?" he asks, having settled himself at an outdoor table overlooking the canal that runs behind the Paradiso. "But we're grateful to have fans. And I think when people describe us as a band to get drunk to, or a party band, it shows you how out of fashion rock'n'roll is. We get described as a pub band, but that's what rock'n'roll is. Twist and Shout was three chords and 'C'mon, c'mon, c'mon' - it was nonsensical. But that was why it was effective."

The Evening Gazette has two Teesside acts to cheer for:

THE CHAPMAN FAMILY (right) got their invite via In New Music We Trust, a promotion on BBC radio stations aiming to promote new, original music.
[...]
DIRTY WEEKEND submitted their demo tape in a competition and beat thousands of other hopefuls to bag themselves a spot.

Eben the Chorley Citizen has found a local angle:

They [The Grow Things] have also been booked to play the BBC's Introducing stage at this year's Glastonbury - the same stage graced by the Ting Tings shortly before they shot to fame.

Mind you, if the United Press International is to be believed, there's going to be more bands than fans there:

About 35,000 people are expected to attend the Glastonbury festival, which began Thursday.

Bloody hell - 100,000 unsold tickets? No wonder Eavis was loooking worried...

Barat's out

With Amy Winehouse released under doctor's orders - and being snapped smoking a fag as she drove away from the hospital - it's better news to hear that Carl Barat has also been discharged:

"I am feeling much better, almost as good as I ever do. It's not as bad as I thought, it appears that the pancreatitis was probably caused by a combination of the medication I was talking (for congestion that I still get after my ear operation) and maybe the odd drink too many.

"I was discharged from hospital at the weekend, which was liberating. I have been told to take it easy this week and I shan't be over exerting myself, which may be difficult as the LP is out next week and there are rehearsals to be had. Anyways, as long as I behave I should be right as rain (back to full health) before you know it."

We love that he explained the meaning of 'right as rain' - presumably in case there were any Baltic web moderators reading.

"Quite avant-garde"

Our buttocks tighten whenever we hear the word "supergroup" being muttered, even when it's one featuring Tim Burgess, Jamie HinceReynolds and Carl Barat.

It's going to happen, though, Tim has said so:

"The idea is to actually record something proper over the summer when we get a chance.

"Myself, Carl and Jamie from Klaxons actually went out for a bit of a band meeting and I think that we are all free in August - but I've just heard the news yesterday that Carl got quite sick so hopefully he'll be recovered by then."

As a general rule of thumb, however gorgeous the resulting band might look in the video, any band meeting which starts with members trying to synchronise diaries so they might turn up in the same place at the same time is a sign that the results of their labours might not be so much fun for the audience as for the artists.

"I just want it to be very serious you know, which would kinda be conflicting in the way that people have seen us in the past, but I think it might be quite avant-garde to be honest."

... so maybe not being fun won't be a problem?

Let's hope that it's not so avant-garde that they don't make a strongly homoerotic video.

The band is currently labouring under the name The Chavs, which you really hope they have another think over.

Barat is bedridden

Carl Barat has been rushed off to hospital, suffering from stomach pains which, it turns out, are actually acute pancreatitis.

He's being kept in where the doctors can keep an eye on him; this means Friday's DPT gig in London has been cancelled.

Darkness at 3AM: From the party frontline

The 3AM Girls seem more surprised that Pete Doherty didn't go to Carl Barat's birthday party than he blew out his own solo gig. Mind you, nobody would be surprised that Doherty was a no-show for a gig these days, would they?

They're also surprised at Peaches Geldof kissing a girl, seeing this as something interesting rather than a slightly desperate attempt to generate column inches:

It's bad news for Peaches Geldof's bloke, The Horrors star Farris Rotter.

She's been getting off with someone else - and it's another woman.

It might be bad news. On the other hand, Rotter has always struck us as the sort of bloke who probably thinks that might be his fantasy.

It turns out, by the way, that bisexuality has only just been invented. It's not anything to do with physical desire or ages-old sexuality, it's:

taking a leaf out of Lindsay Lohan's book

Which does make it sound a lot less sexy.

Barat: Looking miserable for Libertines fans

Carl Barat has told the Independent that the biggest challenge to Dirty Pretty Things was trying to not disturb Libertines fans:

"At the Isle of Wight," Barat recalls, "I felt I couldn't be seen to be having a good time, because I was dutifully carrying this cross. I thought that's what the fans of The Libertines wanted. A lot of them were in mourning for the band."

So, then... will there be a resurrection? Not unless there's a point, he insists. Even the friendship with Doherty can be a distraction:

"Once I've done what I'm doing now, it won't be hard at all. It may detract in the short term from what I'm trying to achieve. It's certainly a friendship I cherish. But I want to let it be for a while. A lot of my friends say you should only do reunion if you're going to write a new album. I agree. Otherwise it's just a cash-cow, a glory-milker. I've still got 'Libertine' tattooed on my arm. There were some kids outside who asked me to play some Libertines tonight. One of them was covered with blood, for some reason."

For some reason.

No word, no mention, of the supposed musical Barat and Doherty are meant to be busy writing, you'll note.

Showbiz Zoe gets a scoop

The Sunday Mirror's Zoe of the Showbiz with Showbiz Zoe column might have landed herself a large exclusive this morning with the news that Carl Barat and Pete Doherty are - supposedly - writing a musical together a bit like the Threepenny Opera.

If only her colleague on the Daily Mirror hadn't reported exactly the same story on Friday.

Babyshambles hoped for Barat back-up

Drew McConnell has told the NME that the Babyshambles team had hoped Carl Barat would have gone on tour with them. To play guitar on one song:

[H]e and his bandmates wanted Barat to play guitar when they play the Libertines song 'Time For Heroes'.

"I suggested getting Carl," McConnell explained. "But he's not going to be around. I bump into him quite a lot and he's a good lad.

You can see why they might have wanted someone around who can keep a bit of a hand on Doherty, but did they really think offering the chance to grind around the country in a glorified session musician role was an attractive approach?

They also gave him a chance to appear on their record, too. We wonder if the constant demands to make up polite excuses is starting to wear a little on Mr. Barat.

Time for accountants

Now, we have as much respect for The Libertines and their great pop moments as anyone, but did their back catalogue really stretch so far as to make a compilation album either possible or necessary? Or is this merely a Christmastime cash-in, shaking down the loyal for a few more quid for the songs they'll already own?