“So my tour starts today in Brighton and I am very much looking forward to it!” This was the optimistic message to fans on Carl Barat’s website last week. However it seems that the devotees were not logged in last Tuesday to read Carl’s memo. Concorde 2 was half empty, housing a crowd of jaded twenty-something’s collectively pining for The Libertines.

But The Libertines this was not; a double bass player and pianist accompanied the more conventional setup of drummer, bassist and guitarist, making for a more placid evening of music than we are used to hearing from the archetypical rocker. That is not to say the performance was lethargic, for despite the crowds indolence Carl displayed commitment to both his new work as well as the tried and tested favourites from his previous outfits.

There are some genuinely elegant tracks on his debut solo album, simply titled Carl Barat, but whilst the album was skillfully performed on stage, off stage the crowd remained unanimated for the ‘unfamiliars’. The audience’s agenda became apparent by the time the third song, The Man Who Would Be King, had finished, they wanted the Carl Barat of old and the vintage songs to boot. At the end of his fourth Libertines rendition, the inconsistent reception prompted the front-man to inquire: “Do you like my new stuff? I was worried for a while . . . but thanks for coming down.”

The fact is that there is a lot to like from this new stuff; an intimate collection of songs decorated with some wistful lyrics. The problem for Carl is that as a performer he relies on a degree of crowd interaction, and on this occasion he faced a crowd snubbing anything outside the comfort zone. Having finished work on this competent solo project, it might be time for Carl to work on attracting a more open minded fan base to exhibit it to.

Carl Barat

Concorde 2

29-03-11

Words By Stuart Matson