The Verse’s Kate Horrobin reviews Peter Doherty’s Hamburg Demonstrations, set for release on the 2nd December.
Following his 2009 solo album Grace/Wastelands, the Libertines/Babyshambles star Pete Doherty is set to release his new album Hamburg Demonstration on the 2nd December, under the slightly more together-sounding moniker Peter Doherty. Falling in love with Clouds Hill Recordings studio in Hamburg, Doherty named his album after it.
The garage-like quality of The Libertines exudes in the frontman’s second solo album. A Spy In The House Of Love ends with Doherty interrupting the recording, saying that he’s “just not feeling it” and “it’s not happening”. The take went wrong, but we don’t mind. Listening to this song, we feel like we are in the recording studio with him. His cute, school-boy charm invites us to share a more honest and intimate musical experience with him.
Flags from the Old Regime, his 2015 tribute to Amy Winehouse, follows the pair’s turbulent history. Conveying their shared struggle with fame, it captures the difficult memories of their relationship. It also expresses their sleepless nights and battles with drugs, offering an intimate view into the tortured two’s lives.
Hell To Pay At The Gates Of Heaven was written in light of the Paris attacks earlier this year. Through this song, Doherty expertly demonstrates his ability to master themes like love, wanderlust, imagination, fame and politics.
Finally, one of my favourites on the album is The Whole World Is Our Playground. Released earlier this year, it embodies Doherty’s boyhood charm. The album’s quirky opening track Kolly Kibber is also another favourite of mine, depicting a girl who has ‘fallen from a ghost train’.
An excellent return to grace by the indie charmer.
Peter Doherty’s Hamburg Demonstrations is available to pre-order on iTunes.
