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The Libertines to perform 2 ‘last minute’ UK shows ‘very soon’

The Libertines are to play “two last-minute shows” in the UK.

The ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ hitmakers – made up of Pete Doherty, Carl Barat, John Hassall and Gary Powell – will hit the road for a pair of gigs “very soon”, but they have so far kept fans guessing about the location and dates.

A tweet on the band’s official Twitter account read: “2 last minute UK shows to be announced very soon, where we heading?”

This year, the group have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of their debut album ‘Up the Bracket’.

But Gary has admitted he is more interested in making a new album than celebrating their first record.

He told NME: “My mind is more in line with the opportunity to record a new album than anything regarding 20 years ago. We’ve been playing the majority of the album [‘Up the Bracket’] for 20 years now, so this year for me, is a great opportunity to draw a line under this part of the saga and move on to the next phase.”

Gary also admitted that while the group aren’t going to take on a full genre change with their new material, he hopes they will be able to “push the boat out a little more”.

He added: “The good thing is everybody’s been writing. I’m hoping there’s going to be a whole new fervour and interesting dimension added to how we approach things.

“Obviously, we’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel and be like Depeche Mode going from rock ‘n’ roll to electronic, but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.”

Pete recently teased plans for a follow-up to 2015’s ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’, saying: “We still feel there’s unfinished business and there are more

songs to write. But he [Barat] doesn’t want to do it in England, or in France, which he sees as my turf.

“So the plan is to go to Jamaica and try to make another Libertines record.”