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When Carl Barât
was playing in the Libertines
with Pete Doeherty, many believed that their success
was due in large part to the talent that Pete
brought to the table. After watching Carl and
former Libertines, drummer Gary Powell,
along with Anthony Rossomando
(Doherty’s replacement) it’s obvious
Carl is as much, if not more artistically responsible
for the Lib’s success. Sure Pete’s
image, drug induced antics and punk rock attitude
only added to their rock ‘n’ roll
sex appeal, making the band even more unmistakable.
But it’s now apparent that Carl’s
songwriting ability and passion were the elements
that anchored the band, as evidenced by the Pretty
Things set at Schuba’s in Chicago last Friday
night. In a space the
size of a two-car garage with the architectural
aesthetic of a small southern Baptist church,
Dirty Pretty Things gave the
sardine packed Chi-Town town crowd a healthy
dose of drunken English Rock clichés
whilst maintaining a fresh and spirited swagger.
San Francisco’s Scissors
For Lefty were up first. A few joints
inspired some head nodding during their short
set, but overall, their brand of dance rock
failed to resonate with the crowd. Maybe their
sound was a little too run-of-the-mill, or the
kids were just ancy for some British dance punk.
After an unnecessarily long
break between the bands, Dirty Pretty Things
stormed the stage with a passionate assault.
Armed with a makeshift sling using the Union
Jack Flag (Carl broke his arm in a mysterious
Thai biking accident, so Josh from the Paddingtons
has been playing the axe in his place the past
few weeks), Carl and the boys fired into “Deadwood,”
and it was on.
The crowd was raucous from the
get go. A small but intense group of pogo happy
kids (half of them Irish boys living in the
city for the summer) dominated the front. The
show stopped to take a few breaths with tracks
like “Wandering,” and the Clash-like
reggae flavored ”Gentry Cove.” Fittingly,
the band encored with a Libertine’s classic,
“I Get Along,” and the crowd burst
into a mad frenzy.
The future should be very bright
for these British gents. They are continuing
on the path they forged with the Lib’s,
but without all of the off-stage distractions
and drama.
Michael Davis, August 17, 2006
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