The Libertines are gearing up for the release of their newest album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade with a series of intimate shows in the coastal town of Margate. Over the weekend, they played shows at the 500-capacity Lido Cliff Bar, where they debuted five new songs from the forthcoming album. The band has already released the singles “Run, Run, Run” and “Night of the Hunter” along with cinematic music videos.
In addition to the live debuts of “Run, Run, Run” and “Night of the Hunter,” the band played the songs “Oh Shit,” “Mustang,” “Merry Old England,” “Man with the Melody,” and “I Have a Friend” for the first time. At the December 10 show, guitarist Carl Barât took lead on “Oh Shit,” with Pete Doherty joining him on backup. They then switched it up for “I Have a Friend.”
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At face value, the songs are their familiar, rollicking fare. But, upon closer inspection, there’s a new easiness that permeates both the band’s sound and appearance. Doherty and Barât have previously spoken about how they all feel in tune together and in a much better place than when they made their first three albums. According to Barât, all four members of the band “were all actually in the same place, at the same speed” while making this record, for which they all share writing credits.
All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is due out on March 8, 2024, and The Libertines will embark on a short, intimate tour from January to February that they’ve called The Albion Tour. According to the band, they’re getting back to “[their] roots in these small sweaty clubs, where [they] can see the whites of the crowds eyes.” These few shows this month are the precursor to The Albion Tour, named for the band’s hotel, studio, and bar, The Albion Rooms.
Their most recent single, “Night of the Hunter,” is a spooky lament to revenge and regret featuring a theremin riff in homage to Swan Lake. “I started writing a riff and it ended up sounding a bit like Swan Lake, and everyone went, ‘Yeah!’” said Barât in a statement. “Then we got Peter’s theremin player in which took about a day to get in tune, then he played that sequence and it worked beautifully.”
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