Huge noughties group reuniting for first album in nine years following addiction battle

THE Libertines frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barat have confirmed their first album in nine years.

The group, who released new single Run, Run, Run earlier this week, revealed their new record will finally be out in 2024.

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During their heyday, they had hits including Can’t Stand Me Now, Don’t Look Back Into The Sun and What Became of the Likely Lads.

However, they have not had an easy ride, with Pete Doherty battling a drug addiction during the height of their fame.

Describing a failed writing trip in Jamaica as they announced their return, Pete said: “We did something we’d never done for ever so long, which was just sit down together with guitars and try and write songs, and we thought we’d done amazing job and then when we got back and sat everyone down to play what we did, we sort of looked at each other and were a little bit [groans].”

But speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, he added: “We tried again in Margate, and we managed to get a collection of songs together, and then we went over to Normandy and honed them a bit and so between three or four old songs that we never finished, and five or six brand new songs, we got an album.”

All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is set to be released on March 8.

Carl said that rather than trying to relive their former glory, the band are now just enjoying the moment.

He said of new track Run Run Run: “It’s about being trapped, and trying to escape your dismal life, a bit like the man in Charles Bukowski’s Post Office.

“The worst thing for the Libertines would be to get stuck in a ‘Run-run-run’ rut, constantly trying to relive our past.

“Our first record was born out of panic, and disbelief that we were actually allowed to be in a studio; the second was born of total strife and misery; the third was born of complexity; this one feels like we were all actually in the same place, at the same speed, and we really connected.”

Pete added: “I feel like we’ve completed a cycle of some kind as a band, and finally now we can add these songs to the set list, because we’ve got some bangers in there. Now we’ve opened the hotel and used the studio ourselves and it’s all worked out—more Libertines records? I should hope so!”

Since crashing onto the scene in 2002 with debut single What A Waster,  The Libertines have sold over 760,000 albums in the UK alone.

Their second album simply titled Libertines gave them their first, and only, UK No1 in 2004.

Cardi’s window dressing

CARDI B lived up to her party-loving reputation when she climbed out of a car window for a boogie.

The Wap rapper, showing off some dangerous-looking finger nails, wore a tight-fitting denim corset and unbuttoned trousers for a night out in Los Angeles on Thursday.

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She was on the town celebrating the release of her husband Offset’s new album Set It Off.

It was Cardi’s 31st birthday on Wednesday, so perhaps it was the sugar rush from her birthday cake that led to this animated display.

Skepta salute to Amy

SKEPTA surprised fans by turning up in a mobile sound system truck and dropping his new Amy Winehouse tribute track, Can’t Play Myself.

The house tune samples her song Tears Dry On Their Own and was signed off by the late singer’s charitable foundation.

Skepta made the appearance in Camden, North London.

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He told hundreds of fans who were there to enjoy it on Thursday night: “We are in Camden, home of Amy Winehouse, we had to respect and honour this one and it’s a special moment.”

Swearing well, lads

TRAVIS Barker proved he’s still more than just Kourtney Kardashian’s husband as BLINK-182 stormed on to the stage for the second night of a whistle-stop UK tour.

The pop punk band – also made up of Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus – thrashed their way through a 27-song set list including hits All The Small Things, The Rock Show and What’s My Name Again.

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It’s been 24 years since they burst on to the scene, but the band have just as much energy – and bad language!

Rising up against the tide of woke, Blink-182 had thousands of screaming millennials chanting “s**t” and “f**k” on repeat, with only a handful of grimacing faces from older members of the crowd.

There were emotional moments, with many fans in tears as Mark told how their support kept him going when he was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

As I joined the thousands flooding out of the O2 for the Tube, drenched in sweat and tears after being transported back to our punk pop younger years, I wondered, what’s my age again?

Fay Leyfield

★★★★☆

Loreen back with tunes after Euro win

LOREEN is back with new music, five months on from her historic second Eurovision win.

The Swedish singer posed to promote single Is It Love, which came out yesterday and honours her Moroccan roots.

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Other tunes worth giving a spin this weekend include the punchy You Don’t Know Nothing from 2016 X Factor winner Matt Terry, which is his first single in five years, and the emotional Sad Forever by Lauren Spencer Smith.

Casso grad of success

A YEAR ago, Casso was an economics student at Swansea University who had no idea how to make music.

But now he is battling for the No1 spot with his song Prada, a remix of Raye and D-Block Europe’s Ferrari Horses.

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In his first newspaper interview, the recent graduate, whose real name is Cameron, has revealed he only started creating music ten months ago.

He explained: “I started producing in December last year. I’m self- taught and while I was learning to produce, I was simultaneously learning to DJ. I started making my tracks just to play at my house parties at university. I finished my last exam a week before Prada was released.

“I never thought I’d be in this position. I don’t think I’ll be using my degree now but it’s always good to know that I’ve got it in my locker.”

The track picked up steam after going viral on TikTok and now Casso is in high demand.

He explained: “It has been a whirlwind since Prada dropped. I’ve been getting booked left, right and centre. It’s been so good.

“This has opened doors for me to work with bigger artists as well.”

On the prospect of topping the charts next week, he added: “It is the craziest thing. It would be surreal. It would be very emotional. Fingers crossed I can get that top spot.”