PREVIEW: The Libertines + Dead Freights @ O2 Academy Leicester
Next Tuesday will see indie royalty coming to Leicester, as The Libertines bring their Giddy Up a Ding-Dong Tour to our campus-based O2 Academy.
Speaking to NME last year, co-frontman Carl Barat admitted that while work on their long-awaited new album was ongoing, the progress had unfortunately been slowed by the pandemic. As he bluntly put it: “It’s been a f*cker to travel.”
Now that most restrictions have been lifted, they have wasted no time in getting back on tour to give fans across the country a generous helping of their distinctive brand of anthemic indie rock, with a setlist filled to the brim with fan-favourites from across their two-decade long career.
Tickets are still available for the show and can be found here.
Opening for them will be up-and-coming Southampton four-piece, Dead Freights. Their latest single ‘Bat Man’ reworks the iconic cartoon theme tune into a riotous punk track, complete with pummelling guitars and an angst-ridden vocal performance from frontman Charlie James.
The accompanying music video sees James being chased through the back alleys of Southampton. He explains the story behind the song: “One night on my way home from the pub, I got chased by a guy with a baseball bat. He was off his head and told me he was Bat Man”.
The day after the Libertines gig at the O2, they will be headlining one of Leicester’s most beloved indie venues, The Shed, for a more intimate performance. Tickets for that show are available here.
Image: Roger Sargent
Harry Featherston is a second-year English student at the University of Leicester, interested in a career in the media. You can find him on Twitter here.
