The Libertines received a rapturous reception at a sold-out show in the band's adopted home town.

Hundreds managed to snap up tickets to the performance at The Oval Bandstand in Cliftonville on Wednesday which was followed by an after-party at the four-piece's Albion Rooms hotel.

In a short post on Facebook following the gig, the band simply said: "Feels like we've been waiting a lifetime to do that. Thank you Margate."

The surprise outdoor show was announced little more than 48 hours before the group - led by songwriting duo Carl Barât and Pete Doherty - took to the seaside stage.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the band's breakthrough album, Up the Bracket, which propelled them to fame at the forefront of a Noughties indie revival.

Doherty has documented his turbulent rock 'n' roll years since they burst onto the scene - including much time spent in Thanet - in a recent autobiography.

At one stage he was forced to live in a storage container in Ramsgate after being booted out of the Albion Rooms, compensating the owner with pricey pieces of art.

One of his brushes with the law saw him banned from driving for riding an e scooter in Margate - a place he says will "never be gentrified".

In the book he also tells of "desperate times" in the seaside town, and shares with readers some more light-hearted anecdotes, including the time he famously conquered a gut-busting breakfast challenge at a Cliftonville cafe.