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Boy, 16, lands dream gig opening for The Libertines

Mary BarberBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
fadetogray_photography A close-up image of Kit Bottomley with short brown hair, who is smiling and singing into a microphone against a blue backdrop.fadetogray_photography
Kit Bottomley will be performing at Hitchin Live on Saturday

A 16-year-old rising star found out he landed a dream gig as one of the support acts for indie rock band The Libertines on the same day he received his GCSE results.

Kit Bottomley, a singer-songwriter from Knebworth, Hertfordshire, will perform a mix of poetic lyrics, indie rock and looping guitar when he opens the show at Hitchin Live on Saturday.

The Libertines, led by frontmen Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, are among the headliners at the bank holiday weekend open-air festival, which is expected to attract about 40,000 people.

"To go from opening my GCSE results to discovering I'm opening for The Libertines is completely surreal," said Bottomley.

"Pete and Carl's music is everything and helped shape how I write, so sharing a stage and hanging with the band is a proper 'pinch me' moment.

"I'm ready to bring the energy and joy."

The Libertines were formed in London in 1997 by Barat and Doherty and became one of the defining bands of the early 2000s indie scene.

They will also be supported by British indie rock bands Maxïmo Park, Reverend and the Makers, Mystery Jets and The Ramona Flowers.

Mark Allan/BBC Pete Doherty (left) and Carl Barat (right) are wearing black hats and black jackets, holding guitars and singing into microphones. In the background are several people, equipment and round purple lights. The image was taken during Vernon Kay's BBC Radio 2 Piano Room show in 2024.Mark Allan/BBC
Indie rock band The Libertines will perform in the grounds of the Grade I-listed Hitchin Priory, built on the site of a Carmelite friary

Though still a teenager, the Hitchin Boys' School pupil has been attracting attention for his musical ability for several years.

Alongside his vocals, Bottomley uses an acoustic guitar, loop pedal and sound effects.

As a 14-year-old, he performed on stage with 1980s star Nik Kershaw in Up Yours Cancer! at the Corn Exchange in Hertford last year.

The concert was organised by the schoolboy's music teacher Steve Young, who had undergone pioneering treatment for skin cancer.

The BRIT School has also recognised Bottomley's talent and offered him a place.

Past pupils at the secondary in Selhurst, South London, include superstars Adele, Amy Winehouse and Olivia Dean.

Before he starts in September, Bottomley is busy in the studio working on his debut four-track EP. He is collaborating with writer-producer John Fortis, who has worked with artists including Ellie Goulding, The Prodigy and Razorlight.

Bottomley is also due to spend several days working on The Story of Quadrophenia for film director Sadie Frost and producer Simon Jones's new production company.

The documentary explores the cultural impact of The Who's seminal 1973 album Quadrophenia.

And he is soon to finish working on Everything, a new film by award-winning director Joseph Dewey, in which he stars and performs some of the soundtrack.

Jane Evans Kit Bottomley has short brown hair and is wearing a blue jacket and white jeans. He is holding a guitar on a stage with four strip lights above. There are three guitarists behind him, with one wearing a red baseball cap. In the foreground are the backs of people's heads in silhouette. Jane Evans
The then 14-year-old on stage at the Up Yours Cancer! concert organised by his music teacher Steve Young (pictured second from left)

The Hitchin Live at The Priory festival will be held in the town across four days over the bank holiday weekend.

Other headliners include The Human League, Rudimental and Ministry of Sound Classical.

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