To be fair, The Libertines are jokingly known as the band who were crackheads, or at least in guitarist/vocalist Pete Doherty’s case, which is an interesting first impression of the band itself. The Libertines were formed back in 1997 by both Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, with a mission to change the world of music in their own respective way. Oddly enough, Pete Doherty was filmed and interviewed in line back on 21 August 1997, waiting to get a copy of Oasis’s much pre-hyped Be Here Now album on the release day. Very bizarre. After dropping out of studies, both Barat and Doherty created The Libertines and were mainly influenced by Punk-styled bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Smiths. This debut album is seen as an often-overlooked release that revived British Indie Rock at the time. Recorded at RAK studios with producer Mick Jones, formerly of The Clash producing this album, it was released on Rough Trade Records in October 2002, to generally favourable reviews and has stood the test of time in this respect. The band’s personnel at the time was: Carl Barat (guitars and vocals); Pete Doherty (guitars and vocals); John Hassall (bass guitar) and Gary Powell (drums). The album title is a reference to violence and the album cover is a snapshot of police guards during the Argentina financial crisis of 1999-2002. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear where it takes us.

Vertigo begins with some crunchy guitars and a strangely off-kilter listen. This is not that song by U2, however. Instead, this immediately launches into a very 2000s sounding piece of music. This does sound a lot like music for junkies, but even so, this song is simple, catchy and very, very good music to hear. All in all, a good starting song with some simple and catchy guitar riffs and playing. Given that this is stripped-back Rock Music, this tune does sound extremely good for what this is. The Libertines had at this point a great and real musicianship at hand. In the second half are some interesting drumroll and guitar soloing, before this tune resumes in the main section. All in all, an awesome listen throughout.

Death On The Stairs begins with some clean guitars, and quickly launches into a good and catchy sounding guitar riff. This song eventually gets going into a good Indie Rock Music piece that sounds fairly dated, but very sharp regardless. The music throughout is simple, powerful Pop/Rock Music with a Punk edge to it all. This is a decent listen that has some smooth vocals throughout. There is no one-dimensional screaming, instead this is a straightforward Rock Music album that looks through British Music tradition, all the way back to the early days of The Beatles. In the second half is a bit of a subtle breakdown, followed by some good singing and a catchy instrumental section with some uptempo drumming. Another good song with some quintessentially British character. Very good.

Horror Show begins with some fuzz-laden and overdriven guitar, with the clicking of drumsticks. This sounds really sweet from the start and is a defining album of 2002. The vocals sound very straightforward and decent throughout, as does the rest of the song. This is minimal music for those of you who like simple music. This isn’t the greatest song from this album, but it has character. This song could have recorded a better vocal throughout, and it is a little poor for such a highly regarded album as this. Regardless, the music throughout is very interesting. Some loud guitar solos emerge briefly, before launching back into the mayhem at hand. Different and decent to hear. It ends suddenly after two and a half minutes.

Time For Heroes begins with some straightforward and good guitar riffs, launching into a better song than the previous tune. Again, the music and simplicity of the message throughout are very, very appealing. All in all, another short and excellent, stripped-down Rock tune. This is a really fantastic and nicely played tune, and it has aged surprisingly well. With lyrics referencing typical British culture back in the early 2000s, Pete Doherty and co. make some excellent music. Another solid tune with some descriptively awesome guitar parts to match. The song concludes with some straightforward harmonies, followed by another gold song section. Excellent.

Boys in the Band begins with some nicely overdriven dual electric guitars and quickly enters into an upbeat and fun listening experience by The Libertines. The singing here is catchy, recognisable and fantastic to hear. All in all, another straightforward and simply good tune to listen to. This music is very, very good to enjoy. This is the sort of bunch of songs that would be played by young teenagers who rebel with a cause and smoke cigarettes or vapes. This music is all the same, is really cool. The songs here are simply good, and the drastic and fast-paced guitar work sounds extremely good. This is about being famous and the circumstances that precede it. Totally decent and listenable, this is simple Indie Rock for those of you who like Pop/Rock in a postmodern yet simple way. A really cool tune that is designed for fans of The Libertines. A good simple and interesting song.

Radio America begins with some nice acoustic guitars that sound deliberately out of tune. A bit odd, to be frank. Soon enough, singing emerges and this tune launches nicely right into action. This music is really simple, melodically natural and sweet throughout. The mixture of acoustic guitars that are strummed away, simple percussion and clear singing, this is a different tune that deserves to be heard from this album. All in all, this music is quite clearly a winner for what it is. The enjoyable simplicity of this music is amazingly good. This acoustic ballad has some interesting and memorable lyrics to hear. Another solid piece of music that is a hybrid of Rock, Pop, Acoustic balladry and Punk sensibilities throughout. There is a climactic finish with a brief musical pause that sounds sweet. Very, very good to hear.

Up The Bracket is a British phrase referring to being punched in the throat. This begins with some wordless screaming and quickly enters into a really wonderful and simple Pop/Rock piece about violence and relationships. This isn’t the greatest album of all time, just to be clear with songs such as this one. However, having said that this does sound genuinely great for what it is. There is a stop/start sectionalised feel to the music here, and the lyrics are fairly to the point about relationships. In the second half are some treated vocals, followed by a supercharged and energetic instrumental section. This song is another winner. Worth hearing.

Tell The King begins with some excellent guitars and drums, including acoustic guitar and some random vocal chatter overdubs. This song then launches into a quote: “Got a little secret for ya”, and is followed by mellow electric and acoustic guitars. Soon enough, the song gets launched into action and sounds very beautiful and sweetly melodic. This does sound fairly consistent throughout. The music, playing and melodies are descriptively beautiful and enjoyable. The solo musical sections are extremely fun to hear. A very promising listen, this music is very simple, energetic and inspired. A good and sweetly powerful tune. This wraps up with layers of guitars and playing that is very, very cool. This has a genuinely sweet and lovely finish.

The Boy Looked at Johnny begins with some loose and overdriven guitar riffs, and quickly enters into a good Pop/Rock song that sounds very lovely and impressive throughout. This is perfect music for young people who don’t like a ton of instruments, sounds or samples in their music. Which is very rare these days. In any case, this is a straightforward song that has singalong and repeat music value to listen to. The guitar solo section in the second half is very interesting, frenetically played and interesting to hear. The music is amazing to listen to, and some lyrics about New York City at night are here. Decent.

Begging begins with some looped drum beats and guitars verging on feedback. This sounds quite good but is essentially more of the same to listen to. A Joy Division/New Order-styled bassline enters, followed by loud Rock Music instrumentation and the song itself. In any case, this music is sound, sweet and youthful in its appeal. This is about begging friends and lovers for acceptance. Again, this music follows a simple and recognisable pattern and structure. The extended solo section sounds rather tripped out and quite different to listen to. There are some delayed and frenetic guitar parts to boot. Very awesome and simply enjoyable to listen to. This ends with some nice drum rolls and sustained guitars.

The Good Old Days begins with some foot tapping and launches into a fantastic, minimal and bass guitar-driven tune. Again, this simple and minimal music has a definite way of appeal throughout and sounds catchy, easy to understand in a musical context and consistent. The sounds and playing prove that The Libertines had some interesting musical moves up their sleeve. There is a breakdown with references to needle use (for drugs, obviously) and the sounds and playing in this song are supremely excellent. This music is fresh, fine and sweet for what it is. This isn’t as good as Oasis’s own debut album, Definitely Maybe (1994), but it shares quite a lot of musical similarities throughout this album with that particular Oasis album. A good listen.

I Get Along begins with some palm-muted and overdriven guitars, quickly launching into a fast and speedy piece of music that is like a fist to the throat. In any case, this music is really enjoyable and fine to hear and one can imagine 18-19 year olds smoking cigarettes outside clubs listening to this sort of music at the time. In any case, this music is very well delivered and structured throughout. This would have been bettered without the screamed vocals, however. Towards the end, there is a good section of music that concludes, followed by the rattle and hum of studio equipment and a scream. The album ends here.

This is a very good album that fails to be great, sadly. Having said that, the music is exactly the sort of dumbed-down Rock and Roll that one can choose to hear on occasion when you need to hear something simple to relax to. The accessibility and simplicity of these songs are a major plus, but some sections could have been easily done better or rethought. The album itself was modestly successful worldwide, both in terms of sales and musical influence, yet Pete Doherty’s drug problems became a serious issue after the release of this album, with some nasty consequences as a result, which should be covered elsewhere. Should you listen to this album? If you like Punk/Indie Rock, do give this a go. Otherwise, you may be somewhat disappointed with this music.

Decent Pop/Rock Music with a dash of Punk.

7/10