It’s been twenty long years since The Libertines released their debut album , but the band’s place in the new British guitar rock canon still has fans queuing up to hear classics like ‘Time for Heroes’ and ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’. Having burnt fast and bright at the start of the millennium, the London band entered a lengthy hiatus before reuniting on 2015’s Anthems for the Doomed Youth and subsequent tours.
The Libertines last played in Manchester in December 2021, but will return for a special open air performance as part of Sounds of The City at Castlefield Bowl with a set on Friday July 1 supported by Sports Club. The band is also gearing up to release a 20th anniversary deluxe version of Up The Bracket – complete with 65 rarities, demos and radio sessions as well as a 60-page book – and will be playing the album in full.
The songwriting partnership of Pete Doherty and Carl Barat was fuel for critical acclaim and tabloid infamy alike, but a little older and wiser the balance seems to have been restored. Whether Doherty will try his fork at one of the city’s many food challenges, having famously bested a Margate café ‘Mega Breakfast’ in under 20 minutes back in 2018, remains to be seen.
Who are the support acts?
Ahead of The Libertines set at 9pm, fans will no doubt want to head down to catch the band’s support act - Sports Team. The English alternative rock band released their debut album, Deep Down Happy , in June 2020, which earned them a Mercury Prize nomination the same year.
What are the stage times?
As with all events of this scale, timings are always subject to change on the night, so make sure to arrive early to avoid disappointment. These are the approximate times we’ve been given as a guide.
Doors: 5.30pm
Sports Team: 7.45pm
The Libertines: 9pm
Show finishes: no later than 10.30pm
Setlist
The band kicked off the first day of music at Glastonbury this past weekend by playing a mixture of tracks from debut album Up the Bracket and their self-titled album, The Libertines.
As their Castlefield Bowl date coincides with the 20th anniversary of Up the Bracket , the album will be played in full, but classics like 'Can't Stand Me Now’ would certainly get the crowd going. Here’s their setlist from Glastonbury 2022:
Up the Bracket
Vertigo
The Ha Ha Wall
Gunga Din
What Katie Did
You’re my Waterloo
Boys in the Band
Can’t Stand Me Now
Music When The Lights Go Out
Horrorshow
What Became of the Likely Lads
Death on the Stairs
The Good Old Days
Time for Heroes
Don’t Look Back Into the Sun
Are tickets still available?
As it stands, you can still nab tickets on Ticketmaster. They’re currently priced at £47.40 each, plus booking fees, so be sure to snap them up fast.
How to get there
Castlefield Bowl is located on Rice Street in Castlefield, postcode M3 4JR, and is just on the edge of the city centre off Deansgate.
There are two entrances for ticket holders - via Duke Street/Castle Street which is also the disabled access entrance, or via Liverpool Road where you access the site down quite a few steps.
By public transport
It's about a five minute walk from Castlefield Bowl to the main line train station at Deansgate. At present, there hasn’t been any further rail strikes announced that may disrupt services.
Here you can also access the Deansgate-Castlefield tram station where there are trams every 12 minutes connecting to all of the main tram routes in the Greater Manchester area.
By car
If you're driving, a number of NCP’s Great Northern car parks are just a short walk away. There are 1,240 spaces in total and prices start from around £3.95 per hour. Use the postcode M3 4EE if using a sat nav.
The NCP Manchester Central next to Bridgewater Hall car park is also nearby, with 643 spaces. For sat navs the postcode is M15 4PS.
The next nearest NCP is on Spinningfields on Quay Street with 680 spaces, where night parking after 5pm is priced at £8.95. For sat navs the postcode is M3 3BE.
Is there food and drink at Castlefield Bowl?
There are usually a wide variety of street food stalls and beer tents where you can buy hot food and drink around the site including the ‘food village’ at the Canal Street entrance. Last year, street food on site included Grandad’s Sausages; Wrap Up burritos, nachos, halloumi and fries; and Tibetan Kitchen.
There were also two main bars serving alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, plus a gin bar and prosecco bar at the very top end of the site up the steps.
For those unfamiliar with the area, there are also a host of restaurants, bars and pubs along Liverpool Road on the way into Castlefield, as well as the popular bars and restaurants on and around Castle Street in the heart of Castlefield.
Early weather forecast
First indications from the Met office suggest early morning sunny intervals will give way to light showers by early morning. By 7pm though, the chance of rain falls from 40 per cent to 10 percent - so fingers crossed for a dry evening. Temperatures on Friday are expected to reach a high of 18c.
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