The Libertines

The Libertines are an English rock band formed in London in 1997, centred on the songwriting partnership and fractious friendship of vocalists and guitarists Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, alongside bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell. Their music — raw, melodic, drawing on the Clash, the Kinks, and Joe Strummer — and their chaotic public presence made them one of the most significant and talked-about bands of the early 2000s British rock revival. Up the Bracket (2002), produced by Mick Jones of the Clash, announced a band of genuine urgency and melodic generosity. The Album arrived at the height of a garage rock revival but sounded distinctly British — romantic, literary, and frequently shambolic. Its reception was rapturous in the UK music press. The Libertines (2004), their self-titled second album, was recorded during a period of intensifying personal turmoil — Doherty's drug dependency had led to him being expelled from the band and arrested for burgling Barat's flat — yet produced some of their most emotionally immediate songwriting. The album reached number one in the UK and the band split shortly after. Doherty and Barat both pursued solo careers through the late 2000s and 2010s — the former with Babyshambles, the latter with Dirty Pretty Things. The Libertines reunited fully for Glastonbury 2015 and released Anthems for Doomed Youth (2015), their first album in eleven years, and All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade (2024). Their influence on British indie rock of the 2000s was profound, their blend of punk energy and melodic craft widely imitated.