The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
A band that’s still l taking liberties
Indie rock legends The Libertines are playing a gig at Dunfermline’s Alhambra Theatre on September 17. And after some colourful times, it seems they are back stronger than ever
They have come through fights, drugs, rehab, splits and prison sentences.
Yet The Libertines appear to have survived and after some colourful times they are back together again, seemingly with even more determination to keep on going.
The band play three Scottish dates this month – Dunfermline on Sunday, Inverness and Kilmarnock .
They’ll then play a run of shows in UK coastal towns for their Tiddeley Om Pom Pom Tour.
They are also working on a new album while looking for a “hotel” to set up their own recording studio and HQ.
“We’ve still got two decades’ of stuff, and we’ve still got a lot to write about,” said founder member and guitarist Carl Barat.
“There’s a lot of water yet to go under the bridge in many ways so yeah, there’s plenty to do.”
It was in the late 1990s in the East London squat scene that singer Pete Doherty and Barat bonded over music and romanticism.
They resolved to form a band with a name that reflected their attitude – The Libertines.
Early line-ups included a variety of drummers and bass players – allegedly including Jonny Borrell, later of Razorlight, although the band recently argued he only ever joined them for two rehearsals.
The line-up settled with Gary Powell on drums and John Hassall on bass.
Ever since the band broke in 2002 with their debut LP Up the Bracket, their career has been peppered with colourful episodes.
The group achieved huge success and
gained a dedicated cult following, with Doherty in particular being praised as one of the most promising songwriters on the UK music scene for some time.
However, his increasing drug problems led to his estrangement from the band and in 2003, he was jailed for burgling Barat’s flat.
On release, Doherty reunited with the band to play a gig in Kent and sought treatment for his drug addiction.
The first single from their second, selftitled album, Can’t Stand Me Now, was released in 2004, its call and response format brutally detailing the breakdown of Doherty and Barat’s relationship.
Later that year, The Libertines released What Became of The Likely Lads, a single rife with nostalgia, picking over the debris of Doherty and Barat’s broken friendship.
A few more band splits followed but in
“
The Libertines is the sound of someone just put in the rubbish chute at the back of the estate, trying to workoutwhat dayitwas
2010 the band reformed for appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
They released their third album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, in September 2015.
The Libertines’ music has been described as indie rock, garage rock revival and post-punk revival with punk rock influences.
Along the way, band members have worked on separate and some solo, projects, with Doherty forming Babyshambles in 2003 during his ban from The Libertines.
On their collective sound, Doherty once said: “It’s like they say: Oasis is the sound of a council estate singing its heart out and The Libertines is the sound of someone just put in the rubbish chute at the back of the estate, trying to work out what day it was.”
In 2016, The Libertines embarked on their biggest UK tour to date with seven arena shows.
In May this year, they headlined Wirral Live, with a surprise appearance from Jeremy Corbyn.