Photo: Linda Chasteau
Waterloo to Elephant & Castle doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. But as tonight’s gig is practically in the shadows of Waterloo Station, and in aid of the Make Roads Safe campaign, it doesn’t matter. The locale must have a particular poignancy for Dirty Pretty Things frontman Carl Barat however. After the fallout from the band which we won’t speak of, Barat was piecing his life back together, trying to free himself from the notoriety that came to dog, and eventually kill his former act. Taking up residence in Waterloo, he quietly worked on new material and got away from the circus his life had become.
Twelve months on and the transformation is impressive. Armed with a hatful of classy punk-pop tunes, which are showcased on mighty debut album ‘Waterloo To Anywhere’, and Barat’s whole demeanour is happier and buoyant. Joined by former Libertine Gary Powell on drums, guitarist Anthony Russamundo and ex Cooper Temple Clause bassist Didz Hammond, Dirty Pretty Things are formidable live, exuding a professional, but sometimes predictable edge.
But just when it seems Barat has got the monkey off his back, Rod Stewart-baiter, hellraiser, stand up comedian and motormouth DJ Russell Brand comes on to introduce the band, give away locks of Dirty Pretty Things’ hair, and tell the increasingly restless, overheated crowd about the point of tonight’s gig. As divisive as the Middle East peace process, Brand is the Marmite of the pop world, but his heart seems genuinely in the right place. Earlier this year, three young women, Clare, Jennifer and Carla were killed in a car accident on the way back from a Dirty Pretty Things show. Tonight’s gig is dedicated to their memory and the Make Roads Safe campaign. Close friends and family of the victims are in the audience.
It’s a sombre thought which belies the upbeatness and energy of a typical Dirty Pretty Things gig. Kicking off with the windmill guitars of live favourite ‘You Fucking Love It,’ DTP start at full tilt. Driven by powerhouse drummer Powell, they whiz through ‘Gentry Cove’ and ‘Doctors & Dealers.’ Intrigue abounds, even a casual fan would interpret the latter as Barat’s open letter to former best mate Pete Doherty.
‘Deadwood’, which features Barat’s rasping “You had a chance lad, you wouldn’t take it,” venom, it’s a cautionary tale that shows DPT look backwards for lyrical and musical inspiration. Mixing the excitement of The Clash with the rawness of The Jam, DPT’s forte is underlined when lithe and leather jacket-sporting Mod Father Paul Weller ambles on to play guitar on a blustery ‘Gin & Milk.’ Receiving a peck on each cheek from Barat and Russamundo, Weller is the picture of nonchalant coolness, and clearly a creative touchstone for the quartet.
Followed by the lovelorn near-balladry of ‘If You Love A Woman’, and a dazzling ‘Last of The Small Town Playboys’, and DPT are at the apex of their live powers. Hammond even pulls out a trumpet for a stomping ‘Bang, Bang You’re Dead’, which gets the biggest cheer of the night so far. ‘B.U.R.M.A’ is equally vigorous; its nimble guitars, show the band is moving out of a Libertines-shaped shadow.
Weller returns in the encore for a rollicking cover of The Jam’s ‘In The City’. Peering across the stage, he jokes it’s been 26 years since he last played it. He could be lying, but if he isn’t, it doesn’t show in his flawless rendition. Finishing off with the night’s sole Libertines track, a bile-drenched ‘I Get Along’, and they’re gone. Ironically it’s a Libertines’ classic which best captures Barat’s bid to cut loose from the past: “I get along just singing my song, people tell me I’m wrong…Fuck ‘em.” And so say all of us.
