Controversial British rocker Pete Doherty has confirmed he will be bringing his famous band The Libertines to Australia, but some fans were not impressed with the news.
The 45-year-old singer announced that the London-based band will make their long-awaited return to Australia in April 2025 for three exclusive shows.
It will be The Libertines’ first time performing on Australian soil in seven years and their second tour in Australia, but some fans were angered by the announcement.
West Coast Australians were devastated to learn that the band will only be playing three major East Coast cities: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Libertines will first play Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on April 12, followed by The Forum in Melbourne on April 17 and Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane on April 17.
Many fans were quick to take to Instagram to share their disappointment that the popular band will not be visiting Adelaide, Western Australia or New Zealand.
“There is a West Coast of Australia, you know?” commented one disgruntled fan, while another said: “Adelaide. Adelaide. Adelaide. Please.”
A third wrote: “No show in Perth, I’m gutted,” and a fourth shared: “Come on lads, add a slot in Perth.”
Controversial British rocker Pete Doherty has confirmed he will be bringing his famous band The Libertines to Australia, but some fans weren’t impressed with the news (pictured from July)
Singer Pete, 45, has announced that the London-based band will make their long-awaited return to Australia in April 2025 for three exclusive shows.
A fifth commented: “You could come and see us in New Zealand,” while another said: “A gig in Adelaide would have been great.”
However, other fans shared their excitement for the show series, with one gushing: “Ahhhhhh that makes me so happy!!! …
Another wrote: “You are a beauty, best news of the year! I never thought I would see this day, thank you!”
A third said: “I’m going to have a nervous breakdown,” and another added: “Oh my god YES! This is the best news since the last Australian tour announcement.”
They are not the first global stars to spark controversy with their Australian destinations, as Dua Lipa has also received criticism for skipping Brisbane and Perth on her upcoming 2025 tour.
The Libertines, consisting of Pete, Carl Barat, John Hassall and Gary Powell, last visited Australia in 2018, which was also the first time the band had visited Down Under.
The rockers performed at the Sydney City Limits festival and also headlined shows in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Pete formed The Libertines with Carl in London in 1997, but it wasn’t until 2002 that they achieved mainstream success with the release of their debut album Up the Bracket.
Amid a public battle with drug and alcohol addiction and infighting among members, Pete left the group in 2004, but they reformed in 2010 and headlined the Reading and Leeds festivals that year.
However, many fans were quick to share their disappointment that the band will not be visiting Adelaide, Western Australia or New Zealand (pictured: Pete and Carl Barat in 2015)
In April 2014, The Libertines announced that they would be reuniting for a show in London’s Hyde Park.
They released their fourth album All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade earlier this year, giving the garage rockers their second UK number one.
In his 2000s heyday, Pete garnered national attention when he dated supermodel Kate Moss.
The couple met at Kate’s 31st birthday party in January 2005, and shortly afterwards he declared that he had “really found love”.
Their turbulent romance briefly ended when Pete failed to complete a stint in rehab in Arizona, with Kate saying at the time that he had “a number of personal issues that he needed to address.”
He even drew a portrait of himself and Kate using crayons and his own blood in 2005. Pete also scrawled “Love Kate forever” on the windscreen of his Jaguar after leaving court following a drugs offence.
However, the couple separated permanently in 2007 after a series of heated confrontations.
Pete previously revealed that “there wasn’t really a specific incident that caused them to split up,” stating that “our worlds weren’t really compatible in the end.”
During the height of his career, the star was in constant trouble and was frequently arrested, including a six-month jail sentence for cocaine possession.
However, Pete has been clean since December 2019 and has now settled in the north of France with his wife Katia and one-year-old daughter, Billie-Mae.
In his 2000s heyday, Pete garnered national attention when he dated supermodel Kate Moss (both photographed in 2005).
Pete has been off drugs since 2019 and has now settled in the north of France with his wife Katia (pictured) and one-year-old daughter Billie-Mae.
Talking with Sunday Times home pagePete spoke about not making the “smartest financial decisions” during the depths of his addiction and is now “paying the price.”
He said: ‘Moving to rural Normandy probably saved my life.
‘When I moved to France, I was in cities like Marseille, Paris, Lille and Perpignan, but it was very easy for merchants to find me.’
Pete continued: ‘Even when we had number one albums and I was making good money, I never saved or invested.
‘The more money I made, the more I spent. Unfortunately, I’m now paying the price for that – I’m still trying to sort out tax bills from ten years ago.
‘You have to remember that when you’re in the depths of an addiction, you don’t make the smartest decisions.’
Since then, Pete has made an impressive comeback and last year revealed that he is once again a millionaire.
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