Pete Doherty has confirmed that The Smiths‘ Mike Joyce will be joining his solo band for select dates on his upcoming UK and European tour, and shared a new single called ‘The Day The Baron Died’. Listen below.
The singer-songwriter is due to hit the road later this month in support of his upcoming album ‘Felt Better Alive’, which is released on May 16 (pre-order/pre-save here).
Today (April 9), Doherty has given fans a third preview of the record with another new track ‘The Day The Baron Died’. It follows on from the ‘Felt Better Alive’ title track and the single ‘Calvados’.
“I always thought it was a weird jazz number, with a silly, catchy little melody,” Doherty explained of his latest offering.
“It’s a kind of homage to [John Lennon’s] ‘Instant Karma’, not the lyrics but the weird off time drum fill in the chorus. And I’m not gonna explain what the song’s about because I’m working on a follow up!”
‘The Day The Baron Died’ is accompanied by a gothic official video, filmed at Doherty’s home and on a cliffside in Étretat, Normandy. Directed by Thad & Numa, the clip stars Doherty (The Baron) and his wife Katia deVidas (The Lady). Tune in here:
Additionally, Doherty has confirmed that former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce will be behind the kit at select gigs on his forthcoming solo tour in the UK and Europe. The musician is set to appear in the line-up as an “extra special guest”.
Joyce is scheduled to perform with Doherty at his show at The Great Escape in Brighton next month, during his slot at Port Talbot’s In It Together Festival, Bolesworth’s Together Again Festival, Southend’s Lazydays Festival, Hitchin Priory, East Brighton Park, and at other concerts in Europe.
Speaking to NME about the songs that make up his forthcoming solo album in January, Doherty explained: “They all just sit well together. They were all written around the same time; around the time I was working on The Libertines’ new album [‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’, 2024] but they didn’t seem right for it.
“It’s not that they were rejected by the band, but in order for it to be a Libertines song, it has to be really me and Carl [Barât]. These are songs that are me, really.”
He added: “I was going to call it ‘If You Can’t Fight, Wear A Big Hat’ but the label didn’t it, so I caved. If you do buy the vinyl copy, you’ll see it engraved into the inner rim of the groove. On the other side it says, ‘QPR FC RULE’.”
The full tracklist for Pete Doherty’s ‘Felt Better Alive’ is:
1. ‘Calvados’
2. ‘Pot Of Gold’
3. ‘The Day the Baron Died’
4. ‘Stade Océan’
5. ‘Out Of Tune Ballon’
6. ‘Felt Better Alive’
7. ‘Ed Belly’
8. ‘Poca Mahoney’s’
9. ‘Fingee’
10. ‘Prêtre De La Mer’
11. ‘Empty Room’
In other news, last month saw Doherty reunite with his former Babyshambles bandmates on stage for performances of ‘Albion’ and ‘Fuck Forever’.
Elsewhere, the singer shared a health update and reflected on the “hurtful” comments people have made about him. Doherty confirmed that he now wears orthopaedic shoes after sharing that he was at risk of having his toes amputated because of his type 2 diabetes.
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