Konzertreview & Interview: Carl Barât at Mascotte Zürich

Students: You are a libertine, the frontman of Dirty Pretty Things, a model, an actor, a biographer, now solo on the road. What’s next?
Carl Barât: I don’t know. Fatherhood. Six weeks to go. My wife went home yesterday.

Oh, in this case you’ve lost one of your band members?
Yes. She is too pregnant to play the cello. But the thing is that her sister replaces her.

You had a troubled time in the last decade. Are you considering yourself as a rock’n’roll star?
Not really. It puts quiet horrible cliché pictures in my head. It’s associated with boring, cheap things and superstar attitude.

So, what are you considering yourself then?
Just a guy. Just a boy.

Come on. I hardly can't believe you. You have a self-titled album right now on the market.
Ok, maybe you’re right. I can’t give you a short answer on that.

It is your first gig in the city of Zurich, isn’t it?
Yeah. I went to the lake during my 2 minutes break. It looks beautiful.

Thesis: People are attending your concert tonight because you are member of The Libertines, because you are the frontman of Dirty Pretty Things and some people will be here because they don’t know what to do tonight. What do you think about?
I don’t know. I don’t know if anybody is coming tonight. But if people do come, that’s what I’m assuming, it’s because they like the music I play. If they are Libertines-fans, they like my music anyway.

How many songs of The Libertines will you play for them? Or are you going to promote your new album?
Naaah, it’s not promoting my new album, for me it’s singing the songs. Of course there will be some Libertines-songs. Otherwise some people would be really pissed off. So there will be a couple. I still enjoy playing them.

Your band mate of The Libertines, Pete, queued for the Be Here Now album of Oasis. For which bands did you queue in the 1990ies?
I didn’t queue. All I was into the 1990ies was Velvet Underground and Rage Against The Machines.

You played Reading and Leeds festivals this summer with The Libertines and earned a fortune. Have you already spent it? Or did your wife do it?
No, she is good. I’m still paying my house of with it.

Are there any new live dates planned with The Libertines? Honest answer, please.
I would like to, if I knew, I would tell you. I don’t know. Maybe. We are all very busy right now. But we said we would like to. The reunion gigs in august were a new chapter.

Thanks a lot.
Thank you.

Um halb neun steht die fünfköpfige Band auf der Bühne und startet das Intro. Der Frontman möchte seinen eigenen Auftritt. Je Regrette eröffnet den Abend. Solo? Mit Piano und Cello und Kontrabass hat Carl Barât ein halbes Orchester dabei. Zigaretten rauchend schiebt er sogleich die aktuelle Singleauskopplung Run With The Boys nach. Das nur wenig gefüllte Mascotte scheint wohl nicht auf diesen Song gewartet zu haben. Vielmehr steigt der Lärmpegel als der erste Libertines-Klassiker The Man Who Would Be King angestimmt wird. Obschon das Publikum sehr jung ist, erkennt es die Libertines-Songs schon am ersten Gitarrenriff. Die Band gibt sich redlich Mühe den Song originalgetreu zu spielen. Die Version kommt bei den Besuchern als misslungenes Cover an.

Nach einigen Liedern seines Solo-Albums erwacht das Publikum. Eine geballte Ladung an Hits der Dirty Pretty Thing und vo The Libertines erhöhen die Stimmung. Doch nach einer dreiviertel Stunde ist Schluss. War’s das schon? Für ihre Rückkehr auf die Bühne lässt sich die Band Zeit. Mit dem Gitarristen spielt er zu zweit eine wunderbare Version des unveröffentlichten Tracks France. Eines der Highlights des Abends. Genau wie Music When The Lights Go Out. Eigentlich ein klassischer Song von Pete Doherty, aber in wundervoller Weise von Carl Barât übernommen. Sechs Songs umfasst die ausgedehnte Zugabe. Mit Don’t Look Back Into The Sun und Time For Heroes verabschiedet sich die Band vom frenetisch applaudierenden Publikum.