The Libertines

The Libertines formed in London in 1997, Pete Doherty and Carl Barat developing a creative partnership that was simultaneously brilliant and self-destructive. Their sound — rooted in the Clash, the Kinks, and a very specific vision of London — was immediate and fully formed. They signed to Rough Trade Records and released their debut album 'Up the Bracket' (2002), produced by Mick Jones of the Clash.

'Up the Bracket' was an immediate statement of intent. 'What a Waster', 'I Get Along', 'Time for Heroes' — the songs were energetic, melodic, and possessed of a romantic chaos that felt genuinely exciting. The band's mythology — the Arcadian dream of Albion, the friendship between Doherty and Barat, the chaos of their personal lives — became as important as the music.

The self-titled second album (2004) was recorded in the aftermath of Doherty's arrest for burgling Barat's flat. It was, impossibly, even better than the debut — 'Can't Stand Me Now', 'What Became of the Likely Lads', 'Don't Look Back into the Sun' were all extraordinary. The band split shortly after its release. The reunion in 2015 and 'Anthems for Doomed Youth' (2015) confirmed that the chemistry was still there.