Time goes quickly. One day, you’re hearing a jangly indie bop on a compilation in your parents’, next, it’s a Tuesday night in your 30s and Pete Doherty’s on stage in a flat cap. Talk about surreal. 

The same can be said about time flying at a gig you’re enjoying every second of — that was exactly the case when seeing The Libertines*…

Liverpudlian singer-songwriter (and self-confessed gamer, which I’ve since learned is an aspect of her musical MO) Zuzu opened. We were immediately hooked by her uber-strong, roaring voice and impressive instrumental sounds. At the core of it were pure indie chords, but on tracks such as the funky ‘The Van Is Evil’, an Arctic Monkeys-style bassline broke through and an outpour of theatrics ensued, too. The contrastingly slower ‘All Good’ is another I’ll be rinsing for a while as well. Zuzu, with her full band, utterly nailed their support slot — ideal, considering she claimed it was a “childhood dream come true”. 

The event had orchestrated some ‘filler’ parts in the form of two stints from acoustic guitarist and singer, Ed Cosens. The first of these came after Zuzu and before Real Farmer, a four-piece from the Netherlands that, yet again, proved that you really should get down early to see the supports. Because, like Zuzu, they totally set the stage alight. 

Real Farmer, O2 Academy Leeds, 22/10/24.
Photo credit: Jack Crabtree

Their jaunty, offbeat indie was an avant-garde showstopper of bass-first joy. Fleeting vocal harmonies delivered both the angelic and the shouted (on ‘Inner City’), and their stylistic nuances smacked of tunes that could’ve soundtracked The Inbetweeners back in the day. Pacy and energetic, the band stole everyone’s gaze as the room began to swell. Real Farmer’s frontman served a particularly angsty, frenzied performance during ‘Consequence’, while their bassist was the unsung hero underpinning it all. 

The two supports killed their sets, and they now sit on my lengthy list of acts I’d gladly see again. And while I let that marinate, the minutes began ticking down before Pete, Carl, John and Gary appeared…

When they finally did, I had one of those starstruck, pinch-me moments; where you realise in that split second that you’re in the presence of icons, about to tick a box off the bucket list. It was an epic sensation as sheer indie royalty emerged. 

The complementing charisma and chemistry of Carl and Pete took a couple of songs to truly ignite, but it was soon guitars and vocals in their harmonised unity. And, in turn, we received hit after hit, ranging from ‘Time for Heroes’ to ‘What a Waster’. People couldn’t help but boogie to the newer offerings such as ‘Run Run Run’ and ‘Merry Old England’ as well.

As we admired these pioneers of modern indie-rock, we observed a cool-as-hell drum solo, token brass sections and Carl on the piano. The standout for me, though, naturally, was hearing those piercing strings build into ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’. It’s an absolute classic, and probably the first ever track I heard of theirs. Anything that ends in Pete on the harmonica is fun, too. 

They returned for an encore and the buzz of the O2 Academy continued to flood the place, right up until the fading chords of the finale, ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’. Then, with a bow, in arms, it was suddenly all done. The Libertines gig? Completed it.

The Libertines, O2 Academy Leeds, 22/10/24.
Photo credit: Jack Crabtree

*With thanks to Chuff Media for the press and photo passes.