Up the racket: Carl Barat on why he loves Hong Kong
Ex-Libertine Carl Barat is back with a new album and raring to hit Hong Kong, writes Charlie Carter

Almost a decade after folding one of the most influential British outfits of the past 20 years, he is back with a new album and a renewed enthusiasm for music. But first he will get into the groove with a gig at the Hangout in Sai Wan Ho next week, along with some former members of The Libertines and the band he formed after their break-up, Dirty Pretty Things.
Next week's gig was inspired by an impromptu show he gave while on a promo trip here last year. "It was perfect," he says of the last-minute concert in Kennedy Town's Beating Heart Studio in November. "Doing a free gig is always great, but especially [in Hong Kong]. The last gig was ad hoc so it'll be nice to do one properly. Hong Kong was like another planet to me."
Barat, 34, was so impressed with Hong Kong that he sung its praises on Facebook. "The fee barely covers flights. HK crowds are amazing, though, so [that] more than makes up for it," he wrote.
The gig is one of a handful Barat is playing in the run-up to recording his second solo record since he and Doherty revitalised British rock as The Libertines' answer to John and Paul, or Mick and Keith. The new material has been a long-time coming and follows years of ups and downs in a solo career that has been hampered by high expectations.
"I've kind of gone back to my roots," he explains from his home in London. "[The new material is] harder, there's a lot of energy and a lot heavier stuff than on my last record. It's more like The Libertines."