The Libertines have shared a dramatic new single from their upcoming album – listen to ‘Shiver’ below.
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The band will release new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ on March 8, and have so far shared the tracks.
The release of the album will be preceded by a tour of intimate club gigs across the UK in January and February dubbed The Albion Tour, which the band have described as a return to “[their] roots in these small sweaty clubs, where [they] can see the whites of the crowds eyes”.
After debuting a number of tracks at a sweaty Margate gig last month, they have now shared ‘Shiver’, of which Carl Bârat said: “Peter had a song and I had a song and we mashed them up and did it collaboratively.”
Pete Doherty added: “I would probably find it difficult to work out who did what because we were both there the whole time through its creation. It should really be called ‘The Last Dream Of Every Dying Soldier’, but everyone liked the title ‘Shiver’.”
In an NME interview from last year, Doherty spoke of how ‘Shiver’ references the band watching the funeral of Queen Elizabeth while recording the album in Jamaica.
“It was really strange,” he said. “We were in this glass cubicle on a hilltop during a full-on hurricane, just watching the funeral and not really knowing what we were feeling.
“She does pop up in the song ‘Shiver’, which might be coming out as a second single. ‘The day they boxed all Lizzy away… The last king of every dying empire, just let it die/ Sit back enjoy the ride/ The last dream of every dying soldier/ I’ll see you there, flowers in your hair.’”
Listen to ‘Shiver’ below.
In October, NME spoke with Doherty and Bârat about recording the new album, their sessions in Jamaica, and the inspiration behind its songs. On the overall themes of ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’, Doherty commented: “All we want to do is write beautiful songs. That’s what we’ve always wanted to do, but we got distracted – mostly by ourselves. On this occasion, we followed the pattern of writing songs that we believe in but there was nothing else to say; no fanfare, no cacophony. This is the album we’re proud of.”
Watch the NME interview and see the band’s UK tour dates below.
The Libertines will play:
JANUARY 2024
23 – Stockton, ARC
24 – Liverpool, Cavern Club
25 – Milton Keynes, MK11
27 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
28 – Derby, Hairy Dog
FEBRUARY 2024
11 – Falmouth, Princess Pavilion
12 – Southampton, Engine Rooms
14 – Stoke, Underground
15 – Leeds, The Wardrobe
16 – Glasgow, Oran Mor