A UK court jailed Pete Doherty yesterday for drug use and breaching a probation order. (0561307)
PETE DOHERTY is out of Guernsey Live.
The troubled musician, who has been in and out of UK courts on drugs offences for the past two years, finally ran out of chances yesterday as Judge Davinder Lachar jailed the Babyshambles frontman for 14 weeks for failure to comply with a probation order and for his use of drugs.
Doherty, as a solo artist, had been set to headline the Sunday night of the two-day festival, which takes place over the May Day bank holiday weekend. Guernsey Live director and organiser Warren Holt said he was hugely disappointed by the news, but was insisting last night that he would be doing his utmost to get a replacement on the same scale.
On hearing the news from Doherty’s agent yesterday afternoon, he immediately set to the task.
‘I started writing and calling all the agents that I have strong contacts with. I’ve already had three call me back, so that’s Kate Nash, Paolo Nutini and Duffy ruled out, but I’ll keep picking them off. It’s important we have someone of the same calibre as Pete.’
Mr Holt said one option was to promote Scottish group Biffy Clyro to the top of the bill. The announcement last week that they were playing saw a sharp increase in ticket sales, he said.
‘We really feel that Biffy Clyro are a headline artist. Their agent spoke to me after they played a show in the States last week and he was disappointed they weren’t higher up the bill anyway.
‘That’s an alternative, but we are going to look at other things at the moment and the first of those is to find a replacement.’ Support acts on the Sunday remain the Futureheads, Guillemots and The Young Knives, with The Editors headlining Saturday.
Doherty’s punishment also means he has been forced to postpone his biggest solo concert yet, at the Royal Albert Hall later this month, as well as his appearances at about 30 summer festivals including Glastonbury.
In October, Judge Lachar had cleared Doherty from the remainder of a drug control order but handed the 29-year-old a four-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, for drug and motoring offences.
Mr Holt said Doherty’s no-show would leave those who had said he would never turn up anyway a little smug because of his lack of reliability in the past for appearances at his own Babyshambles and earlier Libertines gigs or even as the support act for huge bands like Oasis.
‘I guess from their point of view, it will be a case of “I told you so”. We will have to accept that because there’s nothing we can do about it now. They’ve been proven right and we’ve been proven wrong, as have the Albert Hall and all the other festivals.’
Anyone who was going to Guernsey Live specifically to see Pete Doherty can be given a refund but Mr Holt insisted the show was much bigger than just one band or one artist.
Tickets sales so far stand at around 2,000, nearly a third of which have gone to Jersey. They are limited to 7,500 per day.
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9 Article Comments
A replacement on the same scale?????????
well there’s a suprise………he may be a good musician, but he’s a junkie & a trouble maker.
Bring in the Arctic Monkeys.
With his drug record,Doherty shouldn’t have been asked in the first place. What example does it show the younger generation?
A replacement on the same scale-oh great,so Amy Winehouse is coming,unless she get’s banged up too !!
THATS A BIG SURPRISE AINT IT,WHY THEY BOOKED HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE IS A MYSTERY TO ME.
On the same scale? You mean another performer who is a drug addled waster? Why not get Amy Whinehouse - she fits that description.
Its the bloney States innit….always got to meddle. Now all the ormers have gone too. I am off down the Houmet Tavern.
Collymoshos
Why anybody ever thought that Docherty could add to what we have in the Island beats me. The guy is the epitome of all that is wrong with the UK. Being locked up for 14 weeks is a slap on the wrist. Five years would be about right.