A few weeks ago, Carl Barât was one of the headline acts at the Reading/Leeds festival with the briefly reformed Libertines; now he's given a hero's welcome in a small venue. In between lies a story familiar to many a famous band member who tried to do something on their own: a solo album that limped into the charts at 52 and an audience expecting the old hits.
Still, the singer-guitarist has tried hard to break the mould. His new material is influenced by Brecht, Weill and bawdy music hall. The lyrics are as dramatic and poetic as ever – "I've carved my name on the livers of my lovers," he sings at one point – and he isn't short of tunes. She's Something and So Long, My Lover are the sort of rough-edged, big glam power-ballads David Essex would have sung in his prime, while Run With the Boys allies a Motown beat to an unashamed defence of the rock'n'roll lifestyle. However, these baroque, often highly emotional songs do occasionally expose the limitations of a voice roughened by hard living. If he's to progress in this direction, he may have to contemplate the horrors of being in bed by 10pm.
Both Barât's vocal chords and his audience are happier on a blast through his ruffian rock past: two Dirty Pretty Things songs and a whopping six from Libertines days. Even minus Pete Doherty, they generate undeniable excitement, and poignancy drips from Don't Look Back Into the Sun. At 32, it would be harsh if Barât is already imprisoned by former glories, but he can clearly dine out on these songs for the rest of his life.
