Controversial Brit rocker Pete Doherty has confirmed he will be bringing his famed band The Libertines to Australia, but some fans were unimpressed by the news.
The singer, 45, announced the London-based band will be making their highly-anticipated return to Australia in April 2025 for three exclusive shows.
It will mark the first time The Libertines have performed on Aussie soils for the first time in seven years and their second ever tour Down Under, but some fans were left fuming over the announcement.
Aussies on the West Coast were left devastated upon learning the band will only be hitting three major cities across the East Coast – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Libertines will first play Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on 12 April, followed by The Forum in Melbourne on 17 April, and Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane on 17 April.
Many fans were quick to take to Instagram to share their disappointment that the hugely-popular band will not be visiting Adelaide, Western Australia or New Zealand.
‘There is a West Coast of Australia you know…….’ one disgruntled fan remarked, as another said: ‘Adelaide. Adelaide. Adelaide. Please.’
A third wrote: ‘No Perth show, gutted,’ and a fourth shared: ‘Come on guys add a Perth slot in.’
Controversial Brit rocker Pete Doherty has confirmed he will be bringing his famed band The Libertines to Australia, but some fans were unimpressed by the news (pictured: Pete and bandmate Carl Barat in 2015)
A fifth commented: ‘May as well come and see us in NZ,’ while another said: ‘An Adelaide gig would have been great.’
However, other fans shared their excitement over the string of shows, with one gushing: ‘Ahhhhhh that makes me so happy!!! Again Finally!!!!!’
Another penned: ‘You bl**dy beauty, best news all year!! Never thought I’d see the day, thank you!’
A third said: ‘I’m going to have a nervous breakdown,’ and another added: ‘Oh my god YAY. This is the best news since the last Aus tour announcement.’
They are not the first global stars to spark controversy with their Aussie locations, as Dua Lipa has also been hit by backlash for skipping over Brisbane and Perth on her upcoming 2025 tour.
The Libertines – made up of Pete, Carl Barat, John Hassall and Gary Powell – last visited Australia back in 2018, which was also the first time the band ever came Down Under. Pictured in July
The Libertines – made up of Pete, Carl Barat, John Hassall and Gary Powell – last visited Australia back in 2018, which was also the first time the band ever came Down Under.
The rockers performed at Sydney City Limits festival as well as headlining shows in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Pete formed The Libertines with Carl in London in 1997, but it wasn’t until 2002 that they achieved widespread success with the release of their debut album Up the Bracket.
Amid a public battle with drug and alcohol addiction and in-fighting between members, Pete quit the group in 2004 but they reformed in 2010 and were headliners at Reading and Leeds Festivals that year.
However, many fans were quick to share their disappointment that the band will not be visiting Adelaide, Western Australia or New Zealand
In April 2014, The Libertines then announced they would once again reform for a show at London’s Hyde Park.
They released their fourth album All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade earlier this year, giving the garage rockers their second UK number one.
Back in his 2000s heyday, Pete famously courted national attention when he dated supermodel Kate Moss.
The pair met at Kate’s 31st birthday bash in January 2005, and he declared soon after that he’d ‘really found love’.
Their turbulent romance briefly ended when Pete failed to complete a stint in rehab in Arizona, with Kate saying at the time she had ‘various personal issues I need to address’.
He even drew a portrait of himself and Kate using crayons and his own blood in 2005. Pete also famously scrawled ‘I love Kate 4 eva’ on the windscreen of his Jaguar after leaving court following a drug-related offence.
However, the couple then split for good in 2007 following a series of blazing rows.
Pete previously revealed there was ‘not really one specific incident that caused them to split,’ stating ‘our worlds were not really compatible in the end’.
Throughout the height of his career the star was in constant trouble and was frequently arrested, including a six-month sentence in jail for the possession of cocaine.
However, Pete has been clean since December 2019 and has now settled down in Northern France with his wife Katia and their one-year-old daughter Billie-Mae.
Back in his 2000s heyday, Pete famously courted national attention when he dated supermodel Kate Moss (both pictured in 2005)
Pete has been off drugs since 2019 and has now settled down in Northern France with his wife Katia (pictured) and their one-year-old daughter Billie-Mae
Speaking to Sunday Times Home, Pete discussed not making the ‘smartest financial choices’ during the depth of his addiction, and now he is ‘paying the price’.
He said: ‘Moving to rural Normandy probably saved my life.
‘When I first moved to France I stayed in cities like Marseilles, Paris, Lille and Perpignan, but it was too easy for the dealers to find me.’
Pete went on: ‘Even when we were having No 1 albums and I was making good money, I never saved or invested.
‘The more money I made, the more I spent. Unfortunately I am now paying the price for that — still trying to sort out tax bills from ten years ago.
‘You’ve got to remember that when you’re in the depths of an addiction you don’t make the smartest choices.’
Pete has since made an impressive comeback, and last year revealed he is once again a millionaire.
