Riverside
is full to the brim, you can’t move. Pete Doherty arrives, harmonica wrapped
round his neck, vintage acoustic in hand. Libertines songs, Babyshambles songs,
Pete Doherty songs, all get played. He stops every so often, muttering peculiar
facts about Oscar Wilde. The lad next to me, a Rhinoceros-looking-thing, takes
two bumps of coke, before hurling abuse at Doherty, who deals with it charismatically.
Phones are thrown onto stage. A handbag too. Selfies are taken. Signatures are
written. There’s a rousing rendition of ‘What Katie Did’. A mosh pit opens up.
Reminder: this is an acoustic set. A George Michael cover, ‘Faith’. A fan
throws poetry onto stage, Doherty reads it out. A fan gets on stage to perform
with Doherty: one Doherty song, one of his own choosing. He exits via a failed stage
dive. Doherty gets his dogs out. 2 huskies. Tries to get them to sing along to his
harmonica. ‘Albion’ signals the end. Doherty throws his guitar into the crowd.
Words by Johnny Rogerson
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