Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of

the Libertines The Libertines are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, included John Hassall ...

, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres.

Early life

Peter Doherty was born in

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, to a military family. His father, Peter John Doherty, was a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

, while his mother, Jacqueline Michels, was a lance-corporal in

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') was the nursing branch of the British Army Army Medical Services, Medical Services. In November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army Medical Corps and Ro ...

. His paternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant from Cheekpoint in

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

; his maternal grandfather was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, the son of immigrants, Moise Michels and Chana Peress, from France and Russia. He was brought up a Catholic. He grew up at a number of army garrisons across Britain and continental Europe, with his sisters, AmyJo and Emily. Doherty was the second of the three children. While living in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, aged 11, Doherty began playing guitar, originally in an attempt to impress a female classmate, Emily Baker. He achieved 11

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

, 7 of which were A* grades, at Nicholas Chamberlaine Comprehensive School in Bedworth,

North Warwickshire North Warwickshire is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough includes the two towns of Atherstone (where the council is based) and Coleshill, and the large villages of Hartshill, Kingsbury, Ma ...

, and four passes at

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

, two at grade A. At the age of 16, he won a poetry competition and embarked on a tour of Russia organised by the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

. After his A-levels, he moved to his grandmother's flat in London – where he said he felt 'destined' to be – and got a job filling graves in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...

Cemetery, although most of his time was spent reading and writing while sitting on gravestones. In a clip later available on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, an 18-year-old Doherty can be seen in an interview with

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, on the day of the release of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentBe Here Now'' (1997). He attended Queen Mary, a college of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, to study English literature, but left the course after his first year. After leaving university, he moved into a London flat with friend and fellow musician Carl Barât, who had been a classmate of Doherty's older sister at

Brunel University Brunel University of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...

Career

The Libertines

Doherty and Barât formed a band called the Libertines in the late 1990s, although it was not until 2002, with the release of their debut studio album '' Up the Bracket'', that they began to achieve widespread mainstream success. The group achieved critical and commercial success and gained a dedicated cult following, with Doherty, in particular, being praised by fans and critics alike as one of the most promising songwriters to emerge on the British music scene for some time. However, Doherty's increasing drug problems led to his estrangement from the band. In 2003, he was jailed for burgling Barât's flat. The two initially fell out over this incident, but made up whilst Doherty was in prison. He was originally sentenced to six months, but his sentence was cut to two months. Upon his release, Doherty immediately reunited with Barât and the rest of the band to play a gig in the Tap 'n' Tin pub in

Chatham, Kent Chatham ( ) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. In 2020 it had a population of 80,596. Th ...

; known among Libertine fans as "The Freedom Gig". Following his rejoining of the band, Doherty sought treatment for his drug addiction. He attended the alternative detox centre Wat Tham Krabok, a temple in Thailand, famous for its rehabilitation programme for crack and heroin users. He left after three days and returned to England. As a consequence of this, the Libertines cancelled appearances that they were due to make at the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

and

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

festivals. However, while post-production work was taking place on the Libertines' second studio album in June 2004, Doherty was again asked to leave the band. The band cited Doherty's continuing drug addiction as the reason for his dismissal, but emphasised their willingness to take him back once he had addressed his addiction. Although Barât had previously stated that the Libertines were merely on hiatus, pending Doherty's recovery, the group effectively disbanded with Doherty's departure at the end of 2004. The remaining members became involved in other projects (see

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...

and Dirty Pretty Things). On 12 April 2007, Doherty and Barât played 13 songs together at the second of Doherty's "An Evening with Pete Doherty" gigs at the Hackney Empire, London. In 2010, the Libertines reformed for appearances at the

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...

. They performed on 27 August at Leeds Festival and on 28 August at Reading Festival. The festival appearances were preceded by two gigs at the HMV Forum on 24 and 25 August. In November 2014, the band signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...

with Virgin EMI Records and released their third studio album, '' Anthems for Doomed Youth'', on 11 September 2015. The Libertines played an arena tour across the UK in January 2016, followed by a European tour and then dates in South America. The Libertines toured Europe and the UK in November and December 2019.

Collaborations

Prior to the disbanding of the Libertines, Doherty collaborated with local poet Wolfman. Together they recorded the single "

For Lovers "For Lovers" is the debut single by Peter Wolfe (musician), Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty. The single reached No. 7 in the UK singles chart. In 2005 the song was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for songwriting. Track listing CD # "For L ...

", which entered the top 10, charting at number 7, in April 2004. Despite the success of the single, which was nominated for a prestigious

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

for songwriting, Doherty and Wolfman received relatively little money, having already sold the publishing rights for a small sum in a pub. Later in 2004, Doherty provided guest vocals to the song "Down to the Underground" by the English

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group Client. The song was released in June 2004 as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to the group's single "

In It for the Money ''In It for the Money'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released in 1997. ''NME'' called it "more fun than watching a wombat in a washing machine" and named it the 10th best album of the year. In 1998, ' ...

" and appears on their second studio album ''

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

''. In 2005, Doherty collaborated with the English

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band Littl'ans on the single " Their Way". In 2006, Doherty was featured on the charity single " Janie Jones", which was released to raise funds for

Strummerville The Joe Strummer Foundation is a non-profit organisation which promotes the development of new music. It was established in memory of punk rock singer and guitarist Joe Strummer shortly after his death in December 2002. Strummer's widow Lucind ...

. A number of artists and bands, such as Dirty Pretty Things,

We Are Scientists We Are Scientists is a New York City-based rock music, rock band that formed in Berkeley, California, in 1999. It consists primarily of guitarist and vocalist Keith Murray and bass guitarist Chris Cain, with drummer Keith Carne joining the band ...

the Kooks The Kooks () are an English indie rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The current lineup consists of Luke Pritchard on vocals and guitar, and Hugh Harris on bass, guitar, and synthesiser. Their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s Br ...

and the Holloways, also featured on the track. In August 2006, it was announced that Doherty was recording with

the Streets The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuat ...

frontman Mike Skinner on a new version of " Prangin' Out", from Skinner's studio album ''

The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living ''The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living'' is the third studio album by Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner, under the music project The Streets. It was released on 10 April 2006 in the United Kingdom and 25 April 2006 in North America. It is ...

''.

In 2015 he recorded the theme tune to the

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

sitcom '' After Hours''. In May 2020, during

COVID-19 lockdown During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numero ...

, he provided vocals for the single "Uncle Brian's Abattoir" released as Trampolene featuring Peter Doherty.

Babyshambles

Doherty founded Babyshambles towards the end of his time with the Libertines. The group has released three studio albums: '' Down in Albion'', in November 2005, '' Shotter's Nation'', in October 2007, and '' Sequel to the Prequel'', in September 2013. The band's touring schedule and releases have occasionally been disrupted by Doherty's ongoing legal problems. The line-up of the band has changed several times: drummer Gemma Clarke left the band due to Doherty's drug problems and was replaced by Adam Ficek, and guitarist and co-songwriter Patrick Walden has also left the band and was replaced by Mick Whitnall. In August 2006, Babyshambles signed up with major record label

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

, on which they released '' The Blinding E.P.'' on 9 December 2006. In January 2007, they signed a long-term recording contract with Parlophone. In November 2007, Babyshambles played their first arena tour, taking in dates at

Manchester Arena Manchester Arena (currently known as AO Arena for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. Pr ...

, the Nottingham Arena,

Bournemouth International Centre The Bournemouth International Centre (commonly known as the BIC ) in Bournemouth, Dorset, was opened in September 1984. It is one of the largest venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England. Additionally, it ...

, London's

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

and Birmingham's

National Indoor Arena Utilita Arena Birmingham (previously known as Arena Birmingham, The Barclaycard Arena, originally as the National Indoor Arena and still commonly called The NIA) is an indoor arena and sporting venue in central Birmingham, England. It is owne ...

Solo work and guerrilla gigs

In 2004, Doherty was voted the joint No. 1 on ''NME''s 2004 Cool List. The following year he was placed at No. 6, and on 10 May 2006 was voted No. 2 in their poll depicting 50 of rock's greatest heroes. On his own, and often with his band, Doherty has continued

' tradition of performing on short notice

guerrilla gig A guerrilla gig is a type of concert performed in a non-traditional setting or arranged in an unusual fashion. It became associated with punk rock, and noise rock bands in UK and the United States during the early to mid-2000s. Bands who perform a ...

s in small venues. On New Year's Eve 2005, Doherty held a guerrilla gig in his

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

flat where he showcased some of his solo works, many of which later leaked onto the internet. 31 March and 1 April 2006 Doherty was performing two surprising solo gigs, his first in mainland Europe, at the NonStop Kino pornographic cinema and venue in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

, Austria, after he failed to turn up for an earlier arrangement in January. For this occasion he produced, at the suggestion of Bettina Aichbauer, friend of Doherty and owner of the NonStop Kino, a film with the title ''Spew It Out Your Soul'', which he showed on-screen during his performance. On 12 July 2008, Doherty played a solo gig at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. It was his biggest solo show so far. The concert was originally scheduled for 26 April, but had to be rescheduled due to Doherty's being sentenced to 14 weeks in prison for breaching probation on 8 April. The solo show received mixed reviews. Jon Swaine of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' criticised that "whole chunks of the set ... passed by as listless noodling, with neither Doherty nor the audience appearing to know quite how to behave" and that – without a full band – Doherty seemed out of place at such a big venue. Betty Clarke of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described Doherty as "focused" and "on good form". Friend and collaborator Peter Wolfe had a guest appearance on stage when Doherty performed "

". Swaine stated Wolfe ruined the song with "some especially tuneless backing vocals". The gig was forced to an abrupt end during the encore due to a stage invasion by the fans. On 13 January 2009, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' announced that Doherty's debut solo studio album, entitled '' Grace/Wastelands'', would be released on 16 March, preceded by a single, " The Last of the English Roses", on 9 March. The website also revealed the track listing of the album and credits. In 2009, Doherty was made an honorary patron of the University Philosophical Society. Whilst performing a solo gig at the

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

Auditorium in March 2009, Doherty declared Grimsby a "shit-hole" midway through his set after being continuously pelted with coins and drinks by a harsh crowd. In March 2015, Doherty released a new single entitled "Flags of the Old Regime" through Walk Tall Recordings. All proceeds of single went to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. In May 2016, Doherty was joined on his 'Eudaimonia' tour by Drew McConnell (bass guitar), Miki Beavis (violin), Katia de Vidas (keyboards), Stephany Kaberian (accordion) and Rafa (drums). He was also joined by Jack Jones of Trampolene on guitar, who was support on the tour. He shared new track "The Whole World Is Our Playground" on 4 May 2016. In early December 2016, Doherty released his second solo studio album ''Hamburg Demonstrations'', which had been recorded in the city over a six-month period, using mostly session musicians. It was produced by Johann Scheerer and received favourable reviews. In 2021, Doherty teamed up with French musician to release "The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime", a single inspired by Maurice Leblanc, the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin. The single was recorded in Étretat and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and has a video filmed by documentary maker Thierry Villeneuve.

Painting and writing

In June 2006, Doherty announced that he had signed a deal with Orion Books to publish his journals, in which he had recorded poetry, drawings and photos over the course of his career. Most of Doherty's journals are freely available on the internet. The book, titled ''The Books of Albion: The Collected Writings of Peter Doherty'', was released on 21 June 2007. On 15 May 2007, Doherty exhibited his paintings for the first time. The art exhibition took place at London's Bankrobber Gallery and was on show for one month. The collection featured 14 paintings. An exhibition of Doherty's paintings titled, ''Art of the Albion'', took place at the Galerie Chappe in Paris from 25 April to 25 May 2008. The exhibit caused controversy due to artworks made with Doherty's own blood. According to newspapers, anti-drug campaigners were enraged and accused Doherty of glamorising illegal substance abuse. Art experts were similarly unimpressed. David West, the owner of London's Decima Gallery, for example, slammed his work: "It's not got any artistic merit. He's using his blood to make them interesting, but when you look at them they're what any four-year-old can do." Music journalist Simon Spence collaborated with Doherty for his biography ''A Likely Lad'', published in 2022. Writer Antonella Gambotto-Burke called it "a strange and unreliable memoir by a strange and unreliable man." The Janinebeangallery in Berlin curated an exhibition of Doherty's art, lyrics and artefacts entitled ''Contain Yourself (seriously)'', which opened in September 2022.

Modelling

Following in the footsteps of model and ex-fiancée

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...

, Doherty became the face of Roberto Cavalli's Fall 2007–2008 fashion advertising campaign. The photos gained praise for depicting a much cleaner and more handsome Doherty. The '50s-style photographs have been compared to images of

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

Acting

Doherty played Octave, the lead role opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg's Brigitte in '' Confession of a Child of the Century'' (2012), Sylvie Verheyde's film adaptation of

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

's autobiographical novel (1836). Although the film was screened at the

2012 Cannes Film Festival The 65th Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actress Bérénice Bejo hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. Austrian filmma ...

it suffered an ignominious record as the lowest-grossing film of the year in US box office takings when finally released there three years later.

Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres

In November 2016, Jack Jones was announced as lead guitarist in Doherty's new band the Puta Madres, joining Drew McConnell (bass guitar), Miki Beavis (violin), Katia de Vidas (keyboards) and Rafa (drums), who had previously been his touring band. Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres played a gig in Argentina, followed by a week of shows in France including two nights for the reopening of the Bataclan. They played Kentish Town Forum in London and

Albert Hall, Manchester The Albert Hall is a music venue in Manchester, England. Built as a Methodism, Methodist central hall in 1908 by the architect William James Morley of Bradford and built by J. Gerrard & Sons Ltd of Swinton, Greater Manchester, Swinton, it has ...

in December 2016 and several dates across Europe in February and March 2017. Following European and South American tours and festival appearances, the band recorded their debut studio album in France during the summer of 2018. The band played a short tour of the UK in February 2019. The self-titled studio album was released on 26 April 2019 and after instore signings the band set off on a UK and European tour.

Influences

In interviews, Doherty has listed his favourite books as

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

's ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...

'' (1949), '' Brighton Rock'' (1938) by

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

, '' Our Lady of the Flowers'' (1943) by

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

, '' Flowers of Evil'' (1857) by

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

and the complete works of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

. He has also mentioned

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

and Tony Hancock as influences; Doherty and his father were once members of the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society. Doherty mentions Hancock, and makes an allusion to his catchphrase 'Stone me!', in a Libertines song entitled "You're My Waterloo", which appeared on their 2015 album, '' Anthems for Doomed Youth''. The band's debut album, '' Up The Bracket'', is also named after another one of his catchphrases. However, numerous literary and musical allusions occur throughout Doherty's ongoing ''Books of Albion''. He places particular importance on the Romantic poets and on existential philosophers such as

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

and

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (; ; 29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical ...

. Doherty has also alluded to work by the

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...

and

Thomas De Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey (; Thomas Penson Quincey; 15 August 17858 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821).Eaton, Horace Ainsworth, ''Thomas De Q ...

. On the Babyshambles debut studio album '' Down in Albion'', there is a track entitled "À rebours", which is significantly influenced by the novel of the same name by

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel (1884, pub ...

. Doherty has supported up-and-coming British bands, such as indie bands the Paddingtons and the View. A frequent lyrical theme for Doherty is

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

, the ancient name for Great Britain. Doherty also uses 'Albion' as the name of a ship sailing to a utopia called Arcadia, a place without rules or authority. Doherty and Barât shared a run-down flat in London, at 112a Teesdale Street,

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

, affectionately known as 'The Albion Rooms'. Doherty named his diaries, in which he writes poems and other thoughts, the ''Books of Albion''.

Musical equipment

Doherty prefers vintage equipment. Many of his vintage guitars and amplifiers have been destroyed in various domestic incidents.

Guitars

* Epiphone Coronet – Doherty often used the rare one pick-up model ('New York Coronet' made in 1957) in the early years of the Libertines, as well as in some later gigs. It is affectionately known as 'heavy horse' also Doherty's username in online band related forums. His father held the guitar 'hostage' during eight years of Doherty's chaos and carnage, allowing it to be used in recent Puta Madres studio album recording sessions. * Gibson ES-330 – One of Doherty's first known guitars. Used throughout the early Libertines gigs. *

Epiphone Casino The Epiphone Casino is a thinline semi-acoustic guitar, hollow body electric guitar manufactured by Epiphone, a branch of Gibson Guitar Corporation, Gibson. The guitar debuted in 1961 and has been associated with such guitarists as Howlin' Wolf, ...

– Used with Babyshambles at recent concerts. * Rickenbacker 360 – Used a lot in Babyshambles, live and in the studio. *

Gibson ES-335 The Gibson ES-335 is a semi-hollow body semi-acoustic guitar introduced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of its Gibson ES Series, ES (Electric Spanish) series 1958 in music, in 1958. It has a solid maple wood block running through the cente ...

– Used during the later years of the Libertines. * Epiphone Olympic – Another rare one pick-up Epiphone. Seen on the cover of the "I Get Along" single (The Libertines).

Amplifiers

Vox AC30 The Vox AC30 is a Instrument amplifier, guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox (company), Vox. It was introduced in 1958 to meet the growing demand for louder amplifiers. Its "jangly" high-end sound made it widely used by British musicians and oth ...

WEM Wem may refer to: * HMS ''Wem'' (1919), a WWI Royal Navy minesweeper * Weem, a village in Perthshire, Scotland * Wem, a small town in Shropshire, England * Wem (musician), hip hop musician WEM may stand for: * County Westmeath County Westmeat ...

ER-30 * Unspecified

Matchless Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc Four-stroke cy ...

models *

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

1974X and JTM45

Personal life

Relationships and children

Doherty had a tumultuous relationship with

that was frequently covered by the press. They met in January 2005 at Moss' 31st birthday party and had an on-off relationship for several years. Moss had also taken to singing at some of Doherty's shows. On 11 April 2007, Doherty announced Moss as his fiancée during the first of his solo gigs at the Hackney Empire, London, at which Moss also performed. Doherty planned to marry Moss during the summer 2007. Moss and Doherty later broke up. In October 2007, Doherty was briefly engaged to Romanian-born Canadian model Irina Lăzăreanu. On 28 September 2021, Doherty announced his engagement with his Puta Madres bandmate, Katia de Vidas. The couple married two days later. Doherty has a son, Astile, born 12 July 2003 with singer Lisa Moorish. Doherty's second child, a daughter, was born in December 2011 to South African model Lindi Hingston. In May 2023, Doherty's third child and second daughter, Billie Mae, was born to Katia de Vidas.

Interests

Doherty is a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

. In 2004, he said: "I do have utopian fantasies. A lot of them are more – I wouldn't say spiritual, but they relate more to the imagination and the individual. But for me socialism is a way of trying to put far-fetched ideas into everyday use, trying to find a way to bridge the gap between that fantasy and reality, and reaching out across that gap to the people who can actually do something to make the change." Prior to the

2019 United Kingdom general election The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 12 December 2019, with 47,074,800 registered voters entitled to vote to elect 650 Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Un ...

, Doherty endorsed

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

while performing and chanted " oh Jeremy Corbyn" and "fuck the Tories". Doherty is also known to be a devoted follower of

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

(QPR). As a youth (1995–96), he wrote a fanzine dedicated to the club, entitled ''All Quiet on the Western Avenue''.

Drug use and legal problems

Doherty has been repeatedly arrested for drug offences and offences arising from drug use, such as

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

, car theft, and driving with a suspended

licence A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

. He has pleaded guilty to possession of

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be Smoking, smoked. Crack offers a short, intense Euphoria (emotion), high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Sub ...

, heroin, cannabis and

ketamine Ketamine is a cyclohexanone-derived general anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist with analgesic and hallucinogenic properties, used medically for anesthesia, depression, and pain management. Ketamine exists as its S- (esketamine) a ...

. His addictions have resulted in imprisonment and trips to rehabilitation facilities. Drugs had been so important at some points in his life that, in his younger days, Doherty worked as a drug dealer to pay for his drug habit, as he admitted to author Peter Welsh in his biography. Doherty stated that he had been a

rent boy Male prostitution is a form of sex work consisting of the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. Ma ...

, and that during that time, he robbed one of his male clients. In his 2022 autobiography, Doherty said that his claims of being a rent boy were made up as a way to shock interviewers. In 2003, while Doherty's first band

were performing in Japan without him, he broke into Carl Barât's flat and stole various items, including an old guitar and a laptop computer. On 7 September, Doherty was sentenced by Judge Roger Davies to six months in prison; the sentence was eventually shortened to two months on appeal. Doherty was released from jail on 8 October 2003. On 2 February 2005, Doherty was arrested after an altercation with documentary film maker Max Carlish, who was making the rockumentary '' Stalking Pete Doherty'' about the singer and sold photos of a heroin-smoking Doherty to the tabloids. Doherty and his friend Alan Wass were charged with robbery and blackmail. On 7 February, he was released on bail after his record company Rough Trade put up £150,000 in bonds. All charges against him were later dropped by the

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...

(CPS) due to a lack of evidence. In October 2007, Doherty said in an interview with the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

show ''Front Row'' that he had briefly reconciled with his father after three years when his father visited him in rehab, but were estranged again over drugs. Doherty's mother, Jacqueline, has published a book about Doherty and his drug problems entitled ''Pete Doherty: My Prodigal Son''. In late 2007, a photo was published in several newspapers of Doherty allegedly forcing his pet cat to inhale from a crack pipe. Doherty made another attempt to fight his drug addiction in September 2007, when he underwent drug rehabilitation for six weeks at Clouds House. He relapsed in November 2007 following his appearance at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. On 8 April 2008, Doherty was jailed for 14 weeks for breaching a probation order after a string of brushes with the law for drugs and driving offences. On 18 April, he was moved to a private area of Wormwood Scrubs prison after learning that fellow inmates were planning to attack him. On 6 May, he was released after his sentence was cut in half and a further 18 days were remitted due to a government plan to reduce overcrowding. He also had another two days off for being in police custody (after serving just over four weeks of a 14-week sentence). He described prison life as "a lot of gangsters and Radio 4" and showed a certificate confirming he had passed a drugs test while inside. In June 2009, Doherty was arrested in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and charged with driving dangerously while drunk and in possession of heroin. He was released on a £50,000 bail and after 'guilty' pleas were entered, was asked to return to court on 21 December for sentencing. He was spared jail but was ordered to pay £2,050 in fines, and was banned from driving for 18 months, despite the court hearing Doherty had 21 previous drug offences and six motoring offences. Following his release from court, he was escorted by officers to the nearest police station and re-arrested for possession of a controlled substance, later revealed to be heroin. While Doherty was in Gloucester court on 21 December, heroin fell out of his coat pocket. He was arrested for possession and was convicted for this offence at the same court on 27 January 2010. He was fined £750 and ordered to pay £85 court costs. In November 2009, Doherty caused a scandal during a concert organized by

Bayerischer Rundfunk (; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened to BR (), is a public broadcasting, public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Bavaria, Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD (b ...

. He sang the first four words first verse of

Deutschlandlied The "", officially titled "", is a German poem written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben . A popular song which was made for the cause of creating a unified German state, it was adopted in its entirety in 1922 by the Weimar Repub ...

– presumably under the influence of alcohol – and was booed by the audience. The concert and the live radio broadcast were interrupted a short time later. Doherty had tried to continue the concert, but was asked by an organizer to leave the stage. Later, a spokesperson of Doherty explained that Doherty was not aware of the historical background of the line and that he apologized. According to ''The Guardian'', Doherty had earlier "raised a fascist salute as a joke at a concert in Spain last year, and the Libertines were criticised for a 2004 song, '' Arbeit Macht Frei'', a phrase that was emblazoned above the entrances to concentration camps including Auschwitz." On 11 March 2010,

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

magistrates fined Doherty £500 and banned him from driving for 12 months for allowing his Daimler car to be used uninsured by his manager. On 19 March 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs. He was reported to be on bail until April 2010. In June 2010, Doherty was refused entry into the United States after spending ten hours in detention in

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

, despite having a visa. On 18 October 2010, Doherty was summoned to court for cocaine possession. In March 2011, he pleaded guilty to possession, and was granted unconditional bail until sentencing on 20 May. On 20 May, Doherty was sentenced to six months in jail for possession of cocaine following an inquiry into the death of Robin Whitehead. In October 2014, Doherty was admitted to the Hope Rehab Centre in Thailand. He announced plans to start a foundation with the centre to help struggling addicts. In January 2015, it was announced that Doherty had successfully completed his rehabilitation. In August 2017, it was revealed that Doherty had been found with heroin in his car while travelling through Italy. He was also found to be driving with an invalid licence. Doherty received a fine. In a 2019 interview, when asked whether he would like to be drug-free, Doherty responded: "Yes, a part of me would. Just so I can feel things. There are so many people in my life who deserve better. It really is a mental deficiency... I'd be a force to be reckoned with! I'd have money and self-respect and clean hands." In November 2019, Doherty was fined €10,000 in Paris and given a three-month suspended prison sentence for cocaine possession and

affray In many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of one or more persons in a public place to the terror (in ) of ordinary people. Depending on their actions, and the laws ...

. In a 2022 interview with ''

'', Doherty stated that he had "been clean since December 2019."

Death of Mark Blanco

In December 2006, actor and magician Mark Blanco died after falling from the first-floor balcony of a flat in

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

belonging to Doherty's friend and literary agent Paul Roundhill, during a party at which Doherty was present. After an altercation, Roundhill set Blanco's hat alight, punched him and evicted him from the flat. Blanco returned to the flat and was shown on CCTV falling to his death less than a minute later. After initial police investigations concluded there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Blanco's death, a coroner's inquest in October 2007 recorded an open verdict and requested that police reopen the investigation. Doherty's bodyguard at the time, Jonathan Jeannevol, revealed he had confessed to police that he pushed Blanco to his death after Doherty had asked Jeannevol to 'have a word' with him; Jeannevol later retracted his confession. Doherty, who was not called to give evidence at the inquest, was also seen on CCTV footage passing by Blanco's body and jogging away from the scene before an ambulance arrived. An eight-month

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Newsnight ''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...

investigation in 2012 concluded that CCTV evidence suggested Blanco had been dropped from the balcony rather than jumped or slipped. In 2014, Blanco's friend, the comedian Jerry Sadowitz, played a video appeal at the beginning of his UK tour dates from Blanco's mother for the

to reopen the case. In 2023,

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

released a documentary about Blanco's death titled ''Pete Doherty, Who Killed My Son?''

Discography

Solo studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

* " The Last of the English Roses" (9 March 2009) UK No. 67 * " Broken Love Song" (3 August 2009) * "Flags of the Old Regime" (9 March 2015) * "I Don't Love Anyone (But You're Not Just Anyone)" (27 September 2016)

As featured artist

* "

" ( Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty) (12 April 2004) UK No. 7 * " Their Way" ( Littl'ans featuring Pete Doherty) (17 October 2005) UK No. 22 * "Prangin' Out" (

The Streets The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuat ...

featuring Pete Doherty) (25 September 2006) UK No. 25 * "Uncle Brian's Abattoir" ( Trampolene featuring Peter Doherty) (22 May 2020)

Other appearances

* "Down to the Underground" ( Client, featuring Pete Doherty). Taken from the studio album ''

'' (2004). * "Tinkertoy" ( Sarasara featuring Peter Doherty) produced by Liam Howe of

Sneaker Pimps Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, '' Becoming X'' (1996), and its singles " 6 Underground" and " Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an articl ...

and released by One Little Indian.

Filmography

* '' The Wrong Ferarri'' (2011) * '' Confession of a Child of the Century'' (2012) * '' Amy'' (2015) * '' Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin'' (2023)

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

* * * *
Pete Doherty lyrics

Frenchdogs Blues
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Pete 1979 births Living people 21st-century English poets 21st-century English male writers 21st-century English painters 20th-century English male singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century English male singers 21st-century English singers English male painters Alumni of Queen Mary University of London British people convicted of burglary Criminals from Northumberland English rock guitarists English male guitarists English people convicted of drug offences English socialists English people of Irish descent English people of Russian-Jewish descent English rock singers English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English lead guitarists Parlophone artists Musicians from Northumberland NME Awards winners People from Hexham British rhythm guitarists Rock songwriters The Libertines members 21st-century English guitarists Babyshambles members 21st-century English male artists