The Libertines 'All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade' Tour

The Libertines:

Earlier this year, some 20+ years since after release of their debut record, The Libertines released their fourth studio record 'All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade'. The record was a deserved number one, which transitioned The Libertines from cult-icons of the early noughties, to fully fledged legends of the British music scene. Eastern Esplanade ended a near 10-year wait for new music, however in that time The Libertines have continued to flex their muscles on stage. The band started the year with their intimate The Albionay Tour and are now in the midst of a huge UK tour celebrating this new record. I was lucky enough to attend on Wednesday night, which saw the beginning of a three-night residency at the iconic Roundhouse in Camden. A lot has been said about the tumultuous journey of The Libertines over the years, but one undeniable truth is that whatever the world throws at the band, those four musical geniuses walk onto the stage they kick back "a lot f**kin' harder now". You need look no further than set opener 'Up the Bracket' to prove this. The second that timeless riff kicked in the roundhouse erupted, and that injection of energy seemed to power the audience through the entire night. Limbs were flying, crowd surfers immediately shot up, and a huge smile took over the faces of co-frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barât. This had all the promise to be a night to remember

Barât and Doherty's vocals were in fine form, matched by their skilled guitarwork, as they mastered their way through a setlist that combined some of their biggest hits with new favourites. The line-up is completed by the slick basslines and backing vocals of John Hassall, and the drumming prowess of Gary Powell. These four men share a palpable chemistry on stage, bouncing off one another like it's second nature. As a band they may share few words between songs, but that doesn't take away from the enormous stage presence they command.

Whilst these four men complete the line-up of The Libertines, it does not complete the line-up of musicians on stage. A string quartet took a number of songs to a whole new level, including stunning tracks like 'Shiver' and 'You're My Waterloo'. The band were also joined by a brass section for 'Baron's Claw', which featured one of the tour's MVPs Bridie on trombone. Bridie is the bands tour photographer and deserves a special shout out for how incredible her work has been. She, like the other extremely talented musicians who joined The Libertines, helped make this show an even more memorable experience, but at the heart of it all was that raw indie energy that made The Libertines so beloved in the first place. 'Run Run Run' and 'Can't Stand Me Now' closed the main set, carrying this energy in abundance.

The encore was opened by the poignant 'Man With the Melody', allowing the four members to stand almost shoulder to shoulder taking it in turns on vocals, whilst Gary Powell serenaded them on piano. This proved a real effective change of pace before a further 6-song encore spiked the energy back up, before 'Don't Look Back Into the Sun' brought the night to an end.

There can be no questions that The Libertines legacy is written across music, but this show proved they are far finished from closing their chapter, and remain a must-see act for all.

Chappaqua Wrestling:

Brighton based five-piece Chappaqua Wrestling were the night's main support act, delivering a spellbinding set of shoegazing indie excellence. They are driven by co-lead singers and guitarist duo Charlie Woods and Jake Mac, who formed the band back in 2017. Since then, Chappaqua Wrestling has been on a journey of self-discovery which has seen them land on this stellar current line-up and the release of their debut album Plus Ultra' last year. The band's line-up is completed by John-Paul Townsend (Drums), Tom Forbes (Bass) and Coco Varda (Keys & Percussion), each of whom bring a high-level of musicality and chemistry to a band with a seemingly limitless ceiling.

This is my second chance to review Chappaqua Wrestling this year, having attended their headline show at the Portland Arms back in February. During that review I claimed they were destined for the big rooms, and this set provided the chance to see them in exactly that setting. Although I was close with my assessment, it wasn't fully accurate. Chappaqua Wrestling are not just destined for the big rooms, they are ready for the big rooms.

In the space of just six songs the band delivered a headline worthy set that showed they are as good playing raw grunge-inspired tracks in small venues, as they are playing huge choruses to crowds in the thousands. Set opener 'Full Round Table' has the signature sound of a band driven by huge guitar lines. The slow start builds into a true cacophony of sound that other bands may struggle for entire careers to replicate. This underlines the bands entire debut album, which is exactly why it will be such a tough act to follow. 

Chappaqua Wrestling were also generous enough to treat us to some unreleased tracks, such as the anthemic Forgive and Regret. These upcoming releases show that the future of Chappaqua Wrestling is not only in safe hands, but will feature some of their best releases to date. A support slot is never easy, playing to a room full of people who may not have heard ant of your songs, however Chappaqua Wrestling made it look light work. They have all it takes to be the country's next great band, and wouldn't look out of place with such a title.

Zuzu:

On a night that would see four different acts take to the stage, it was vital that proceedings started off on a high. I'm not sure there could have been a safer pair of hands to ensure this happened than indie-pop star Zuzu. I say indie-pop as that is very much the genre of Zuzu's debut album 'Queensway Tunnel, but having watched the live set Zuzu seems to be heading into a much more alt-rock, sometimes even punk fuelled era.

Having recently been on tour with her partner in crime Callie Crighton as dark-pop duo 'The Darklings', you could have forgiven Zuzu for
taking some time to kick back into gear for her solo sound. However, from the second she took to the stage with her stellar live band (Darragh Burke (Guitar), Ben Truman (Bass) and Josh Conan Doyle (Drums)) Zuzu was more than up for it, and the crowd responded with high energy themselves.

The set opened with one of Zuzu's earliest singles, the almost psychedelic 'All Good'. An immediate heavy set of drumbeats from Josh
Conan Doyle in the build-up to the chorus set.. The tempo for the rest of this set, high velocity live music at its finest. The guitars were noticeably thrashier than on record, and Zuzu altered her vocals to match, giving a whole new feel to this already incredible song.

This was then followed by a triad of unreleased songs, 'Spy Balloon`, 'Con Man', and 'Nothing Is Quite As It Seems'. There aren't many riskier places to try new music than a sold-out Roundhouse, particularly when supporting one of your idols, but Zuzu delivered these songs with the conviction of all-time classics. Spy Balloon saw Zuzu step into 2 more punk style, whilst 'Nothing Is Quite As It Seems' has a chorus which feels tailor made for arenas. 

The set was brought to a close by slightly reimagined versions of two of Zuzu's most popular songs, 'The Van Is Evil' and 'Queensway Tunnel'. Again, both songs were played in a slightly heavier manner, and it added a whole new depth to songs that are already sensational. The performance of Queensway Tunnel in particular may have been the best performance of the whole night. Zuzu is a star on stage, and it is only a matter of time before she is headlining these rooms

Max Bianco:

The night's third support act was singer-songwriter Max Bianco, who performed in the changeover slots between bands. Bianco is normally found fronting 'Max Bianco and The BlueHearts', however on Wednesday night he stood alone with acoustic guitar in hand delivering a masterclass in songwriting excellence. The lyrical prowess on show was nothing short of sensational, showing why Max has become such a highly regarded wordsmith. However, good lyrics will only get you so far, which is why it is a good thing Max Bianco has the voice to match. He has a natural rasp in his voice that perfectly complimented the skilful acoustic backings.

Despite the chaos of roadies taking over the stage around him Max managed to keep all the attention on himself, commanded the crowd with every pluck of a string. For Max's second set he was joined by esteemed performer Charles Bueller, with the duo ripping their way through the brilliant. 'North East Bay` and 'Cold Outside'. In just 4 songs across 2 sets Max Bianco proved why he's deserving of a place on the biggest stages.