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‘Now we see Arcadian dream’: The Libertines tell MM they’re ‘older and wiser’ as they work on new material once more

The Libertines’ drummer has said that the band are writing more collectively than ever, while on a visit to Manchester.

America-born Gary Powell said that songwriting is no longer solely down to frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barat.

The band, who last year released their first record in over a decade, are already working on new material.

“It’s different now because we’re all a lot older and we’re all a lot wiser,” he told MM.

“We’re taking influences from many different sources now whereas beforehand maybe we were a little bit two dimensional with our approach to writing – this was how we saw the world and this is how the world was in our minds.

“Now we see the Arcadian dream, we see it from other people’s point of view and that includes how we work together as a band.

“The influences come from everyone and everybody’s input is as valid as anybody else’s.”

The 46-year-old musician appeared at Northern Quarter bar Dive for the launch of the city’s newest indie night CTRL.    

Stockport band, Blossoms, and The Spitting Pips were also at the event.

Powell, who will also be playing with The Specials in the UK and US this year, was the last member to join The Libertines before recording their debut album Up the Bracket.

“The only reason I joined the band was because Pete and Carl were literally the most interesting people I’d met – they spoke from a different prayer book,” he said.

“It was almost like a thespian-esque point of view, no one in the world spoke like them, only those guys.

“They could finish each other’s sentences, it was almost like watching something vaudevillian.

“Between the two of them they argued no more than siblings would argue – they literally care that much about each other that there’s no holds barred.”

Image courtesy of The Libertines, via YouTube, with thanks.

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