Downtime on international tour routes often produces scenes that would never make it into a band's staged public appearances. Ahead of their festival commitments in South Korea, The Libertines ended up huddled around a drum kit and a vocal microphone, where Pete Doherty decided to try his hand at a piece of mid-2000s chart pop.
A video shared to Instagram by Carl Barât on Sunday, October 4, captured Doherty tackling Lily Allen's 2006 breakthrough single, Smile. Dressed in a grey suit, Doherty paced across the room while delivering the track in his characteristic vocal drawl. Drummer Gary Powell supplied the rhythm from behind a small kit, laughing as Doherty worked his way through the song. A handful of onlookers gathered in the room, clapping along and raising their hands into the air as the performance unfolded.
The exact surroundings remained ambiguous in the footage. It was hard to tell whether the musicians had found their way into a small local cafe or were simply passing the hours in a private dressing room backstage. Barât posted the clip with a teasing caption, asking his followers if South Korea was going well and tagging Allen directly. The post soon caught the attention of the singer herself, who acknowledged Doherty's impromptu cover by leaving a heart-eyes emoji in the comments.
The loose karaoke performance arrived amid a fast-moving weekend for the group. The Libertines had travelled out to South Korea to play a headline-level slot at the Busan International Rock Festival on Sunday, October 4. The trip followed closely on the heels of other recent appearances back in the UK, including a live spot in London where Barât joined young group The Molotovs on stage to perform early Libertines favourite What A Waster.
Away from the live circuit, Doherty has been working on digital broadcasting alongside comedian Josh Pugh. The duo recently launched The Pete Doherty Show, a YouTube production billed as a musical comedy adventure. The project features an unpredictable mix of guests from across British entertainment, drawing in stand-up comics, television personalities, and fellow musicians. Confirmed appearances include Sleaford Mods singer Jason Williamson, EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy, broadcaster Richard Bacon, and comedians Ivo Graham and Jamali Maddix.
Discussing the conversations recorded for the show, Doherty spoke warmly about his encounters with such varied cultural figures. He described Williamson as brilliant, mentioning that there were specific things he had spent a long time wanting to ask the vocalist. Doherty was equally enthusiastic about his time talking with Cassidy, confessing that he had initially thought of her as a massive celebrity before being pleased to discover she was entirely down to earth, like a regular London girl.
Whether headlining a major event like the Busan International Rock Festival or pacing a room in a suit to sing someone else's pop hit, Doherty continues to treat every space with the same casual, off-the-cuff approach that has defined his career.
