Qulture Magazine

Junior Brother opened the night, and I’ll be honest, it was a slightly strange start. His wiry, experimental Irish-folk style clearly aimed for raw authenticity, but in reality it often felt scratchy is how I could describe it. His voice had this sharp, nasal edge that cut through the room, It certainly wasn’t bad in the slightest but is definitely for a more defined taste.

His guitar playing was inventive, twisting away from the predictable, and there were glimpses of something compelling, Whilst I had some criticisms about his voice there was no denying the talented guitar playing that was going on.

Folk can be many things, It’s a very broad genre the only way I could categorize this was somewhat experimental, with lyrics sounding almost comedic at time a song I found to be like this was a song called “Hungover at mass” however a deeper Listen to the lyrics show a further meaning almost with a kind of angst around it. Overall Junior Brother played well and certainly had the confidence I do however wish there was a bit of a less serious vibe and more work with crowd.

Peter Doherty wandered on stage, and the atmosphere shifted completely. Suddenly the room seemed alive again, leaning in, waiting to see which version of Doherty we’d get. He has that rare quality where his very presence is enough to hold attention, even if he looks like he’s barely holding himself together. The set itself was a beautiful mess. He rambled through half-finished stories that dissolved into laughter or silence, before transitioning into songs that somehow managed to land perfectly.

His voice is more ragged now, but it suits him, I’d describe his voice now as worn, weathered, and strangely tender. At times it felt like his charisma was carrying the show more than the music, and there were definite dips in energy where you wondered if he’d lost the vibe. But then he’d hit you with a perfectly delivered line reminding you of the beauty of his music.

At one point, he even went into poetry after telling a story about his young dream of performing poetry at the Edinburgh Fringe, he pulled out scrappy verses and recited them from a book with the same offhand charm he brings to his music. It didn’t feel polished or prepared, but it felt intimate, like being let into his private notebooks. The crowd leaned in, unsure whether to laugh or applaud, but it added another layer to the evening it was part gig, part confessional, part pub reading.

Once the show had finished Doherty returned for an encore, then came his ode to Oasis who were playing a sold-out Murrayfield the previous night, Doherty played a ragged, heartfelt run of “Live Forever” transitioning in and out of arguably his most famous song “Don’t Look Back Into The Sun” It was an incredible moment for the crowd and definitely my favourite part of the night. For a moment, the whole room was singing along with him, and that shared nostalgia turned what could’ve been a throwaway cover into one of the night’s most memorable moments.

Overall Doherty put on a great show singing songs from his new album “Felt Better Alive” to playing Libertines classics like “Can’t Stand Me Now.” Not every song worked and at times the set felt chaotic but that’s not what you go to a Peter Doherty gig for. You go for the unpredictability, the chaos, and the flashes of nostalgia that feel even more special because they’re fleeting. And at La Belle Angele, that’s exactly what we got it was messy, heartfelt, and unapologetically Peter Doherty.

You can listen to Peter’s latest Album ‘Felt Better Alive’ Below: