Arena: Pete Doherty

Pete Doherty, one of the most discussed, intriguing and charismatic pop artists at this time, has always received more attention for his controversial private life than for his music. For several months, a documentary team from the prestigious British television series Arena was given free access to Doherty and filmed him on tour and at his home in London.
The result is not a standard documentary, but a period with Doherty on the road. With the artist as martyr, the musician who doesn’t give a shit about anything, the British rock star in his everyday life. It is always evening or night, almost always noisy, limousines, adoring crowds. There is also the mood of young people together, the group feeling, the excitement of the concerts. The music is fast, apparently simple and extemporised, social with refrains to sing along to and pretentious to a certain degree. Get intoxicated and never pause for a rest. The images and sounds are home video-like, fitting the subject. The audience at the concerts is just as important as the artists on the often modest stage. Doherty’s drug addiction, which has been widely reported in the press, results in a bloodthirsty mood in which every concert could be the last. ‘We want to see somebody fall apart,’ according to a pop journalist and insider in the film. (EH)