Doherty in Aberdeen: Crowd tolerates pretty French ballads before solo classics seal the deal
A HAPPY and present Pete Doherty worked hard to sell his new album of French noir dirges at an Aberdeen gig – and mostly succeeded.
Mr Doherty (43) avoided the hits for as long as possible at the Lemon Tree show, holding the crowd's attention remarkably well with his well-arranged and tragic euro crooner tunes before an emphatic ending.
Playing his latest album The Fantasy Life of Poetry and Crime in full, Doherty showed off his new creative partnership with French guitarist, composer and "auteur" Frédéric Lo.
Taking on solo guitar duties for most of the night, Mr Lo's ice-pick tone and classy playing laid a solid foundation for Doherty's voice.
Guitar and keyboard lines which mirror Doherty's melodies pepper the new material, reigning in the most ragged edges of his vocal before they reach the point of no return.
The set kicked off with the album's title track, a mood-setting piece featuring a Hank Marvin-meets-spaghetti western guitar line underpinning Doherty's lyrical imagery of bells, seaside landscapes and weaponry.
Second track Invictus continued in the same vein, with lyrics diving into his own relationship with fame and cash: "Say, if you follow the money, you hollow the hole."
He is heeding his own lessons – playing this batch of left-field ballads to a mostly young crowd of Libertines fans shows a definite commitment to not following the money.
Single The Epidemiologist benefited from the live treatment here, with a looser performance breaking down the slight robotic edge marring the studio vocal.
Hearing Doherty over a different instrumental palette highlights how well he copes with tricky jazz chords and progressions, a talent ignored in discussions of his music.
Some higher energy album cuts failed to ring quite true, however, with unconvincing performances on tracks Keeping Me on File and Rock and Roll Alchemy.
Bucking the trend, however, was first single You Can't Keep It From Me Forever, which finally struck the audience's match.
The upbeat, driving recovery song finds Doherty winning one of many battles against his own nature, despite admitting that he knows "every trick in the book".
Thoroughly convinced by the song's mid-point, the audience was coaxed into a chorus singalong which continued after the song tailed off.
After working through the final few new album tracks, Doherty deigned to give the crowd some solo classics.
Relief was palpable as the band kicked into the chunky Kinks-style chords of Babyshambles tune Delivery, as the Lemon Tree hit boiling point for the first time that night.
The self control necessary for Doherty to consistently avoid wheeling out flammable Libertines tunes What Katie Said or Can't Stand Me Now is very impressive and signposts a healthy commitment to making his own way.
Shutting up shop with further solo tunes Last of the English Roses, Arcady, For Lovers and Salome, Doherty struck the sweet spot between driving guitar music and twee indie tunes.
The classic recipe produced something which, despite the depraved subject matter, was as light and digestible as a good sponge cake.
While playing his entire latest album was brave and the material has merit, a classic-heavy night would have seen the audience going home much happier.
At this point in Doherty's career, and given his recent divorce with debauchery, he could be forgiven for "living in flashback," as he self-diagnoses on The Secret Life album track The Ballad Of.
However, his commitment to giving fans whatever medicine he sees fit shows he is moving forward – and enjoying himself.
