Peter Doherty

Peter Doherty has forged a path that weaves together his work as a solo performer and his roles within the Libertines, Babyshambles, and the Puta Madres, all marked by a defiant outlook, lyrical poetry, and a deep attachment to Albion, his idealized image of an ancient England. During the first years of the 2000s the Libertines stood among the foremost acts on the British rock landscape. Their recordings, among them the 2002 album Up the Bracket, honored earlier generations of icons while simultaneously shaping the direction of numerous emerging talents. Through Babyshambles he delved into more reflective and wide-ranging musical territory, incorporating reggae and cabaret elements into the group’s loose indie-rock sound on projects such as the 2007 release Shotter’s Nation. Subsequent endeavors encompassed both the freewheeling, energetic recordings Hamburg Demonstrations in 2016 and Peter Doherty & the Puta Madres in 2019, as well as the more polished 2022 collaboration with Frédéric Lo titled The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime.

Raised in a military household, Doherty spent much of his childhood relocating across England and Europe. A bright pupil who excelled academically, he devoted himself to literature, particularly Romantic and war poetry. Guitar lessons began at age 11, and at 16 he claimed victory in a poetry competition. Following completion of his A-levels he settled into his grandmother’s London flat and took a brief post as a gravedigger at Willesden Cemetery. He enrolled in English literature at the University of London yet withdrew after one year, then moved in with guitarist and singer Carl Barât, an acquaintance from his sister’s time at Brunel University. The pair started composing material, testing various personas—including that of a 70-year-old—to round out the lineup they named the Libertines. They finalized the roster with Doherty and Barât handling vocals and guitars, John Hassall on bass, and Gary Powell on drums, securing a deal with Rough Trade in December 2001. Their first single, “What a Waster,” appeared in June 2002 and was swiftly followed by the widely praised debut album Up the Bracket.

Even as the Libertines achieved prominence, Doherty’s struggles with substances—later acknowledged as addictions to both crack and heroin—led to repeated missed performances. In 2003 he served a month-long prison term after entering Barât’s residence without permission. Upon release the two reconciled, promptly sharing a stage and mapping out the band’s next steps. Doherty then checked into a rehabilitation facility in rural Thailand, remaining only three days before departing for Bangkok and eventually returning to England.

Around the same period he launched solo performances and assembled Babyshambles alongside guitarist Patrick Walden, bassist Drew McConnell, and drummer Gemma Clarke. The Libertines delivered their self-titled second album in August 2004; despite favorable reviews the group had effectively disbanded. Doherty pursued additional ventures, including a partnership with the poet Wolfman on the single “For Lovers,” which debuted at number seven on the U.K. Singles Chart that April and earned an Ivor Novello Award nomination for songwriting. He also supplied guest vocals on Client’s album City that year. Babyshambles issued their first full-length, Down in Albion, in October 2005. The following year the band moved to Parlophone Records, which put out the Blinding EP in December. June 2007 saw Orion Books release The Books of Albion: The Collected Writings of Peter Doherty, a volume that gathered his poetry together with drawings and photographs. He simultaneously exhibited paintings at London’s Bankrobber Gallery. After Babyshambles’ second album Shotter’s Nation arrived in October the group entered a period of inactivity. Doherty next recorded his solo debut under producer Stephen Street and with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon; Grace/Wastelands, credited to Peter Doherty, surfaced early in 2009 shortly after his 30th birthday.

Throughout the 2010s Doherty maintained a range of simultaneous projects. Building on a 2007 performance with Barât, the Libertines reconvened in 2010 for a string of acclaimed concerts, among them appearances at that year’s Reading and Leeds festivals. He also featured in the 2012 film Confession of a Child of the Century, Sylvie Verheyde’s adaptation of Alfred de Musset’s autobiographical novel La Confession d’un Enfant du Siècle, opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg. Early in 2013 Doherty and Babyshambles returned to the studio with Stephen Street to track their third album, Sequel to the Prequel, issued that September. The Libertines regrouped once more in 2014 for sold-out dates at London’s Hyde Park and Alexandra Palace, later capturing another album, 2015’s Anthems for Doomed Youth. Doherty’s second solo outing, Hamburg Demonstrations, was tracked at Cloud Hills Recordings in that city and emerged in 2016. While the Libertines paused activity, he formed Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres, drawing members from his 2016 touring ensemble: keyboardist Katia De Vidas, guitarist Jack Jones, violinist Miki Beavis, bassist Drew McConnell, and drummer Rafa. McConnell departed in 2017 to join Liam Gallagher’s touring band and was replaced by French musician Miggles. The group spent a week in a French fishing village with producer Dan Cox and Jai Stanley to record their debut album, which appeared as Peter Doherty & the Puta Madres in April 2019.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns Doherty stayed active, contributing vocals to Trampolene’s March 2020 single “Uncle Brian’s Abbatoir” and collaborating with French composer, arranger, and singer/songwriter Frédéric Lo on the 2021 single “The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime,” a track drawing inspiration from Maurice Leblanc’s gentleman-thief character Arsène Lupin. Their partnership proved fruitful enough to expand into the March 2022 full-length The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime, which recalled the work of the Beatles, the Smiths, Scott Walker, and Last Shadow Puppets.