Decisive · Garage Revival & Mass Alt
The Libertines
London garage-punk four formed in 1997. Up the Bracket (2002, produced by Mick Jones) and the Barât–Doherty dual-vocal partnership put Rough Trade singles on the post-Strokes UK indie map.
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Landmark
Time for Heroes · 2002
Early single; loose-tight riff writing from Up the Bracket era.
Opened
Post-Strokes UK garage-punk: dual vocals, Rough Trade, Mick Jones production.
01 / 06
Garage urgency after The Strokes
Up the Bracket keeps Clash-era speed with 2000s indie slack. What a Waster’s BBC controversy is a chart and media fact. Dual frontmen trade lines without harmonized polish. Time for Heroes and Don't Look Back into the Sun show short, tight 45 writing under the chaos narrative.
02 / 06
Classic four and Doherty absences
Peak unit: Barât and Doherty on guitars/vocals, Hassall bass, Powell drums. Doherty’s absences and the 2004 split interrupt the run; reunions restore the four-piece for festivals. Mick Jones’s production credit marks Clash lineage on the early tapes.
03 / 06
London indie into later UK revival
Loose dual-vocal garage and lyric locality fed 2000s UK revival peers, including Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Clash production credit plus Strokes-era timing: document of urgency more than stadium polish.
04 / 06
What a Waster
Up the Bracket opener with loose dual vocals and Jones production. BBC banned it from airplay; the controversy is part of the early press record.
05 / 06
Don't Look Back into the Sun
Single between albums; chiming Barât/Doherty guitar unison and a clearer chorus shape.
06 / 06
Can't Stand Me Now
Self-titled album lead single. Call-and-response dual vocal writes the Doherty–Barât split into the arrangement.
01 / 06
Garage urgency after The Strokes
London garage-punk four formed in 1997. Up the Bracket (2002, produced by Mick Jones) and the Barât–Doherty dual-vocal partnership put Rough Trade singles on the post-Strokes UK indie map.
Lineup versions
Original four
Peak1997–2004
Barât/Doherty dual front; UK garage-indie peak on Rough Trade.
- Pete DohertyVocals, Guitar
- Carl BarâtVocals, Guitar
- John HassallBass
- Gary PowellDrums
Quotes
“We were a gang that happened to write songs.”
— Pete Doherty, 2003 · Press interview excerpt
“Carl kept the tunes standing when everything else fell over.”
— John Hassall, 2004 · Archive interview excerpt
Scenes
| Year | Track | On stage | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | What a WasterUp the Bracket opener; BBC airplay ban, loose dual vocals, Jones production. | Carl Barât, Pete Doherty, John Hassall, Gary Powell | |
| 2003 | Don't Look Back into the SunSingle between albums; chiming Barât/Doherty guitar unison. | Carl Barât, Pete Doherty, John Hassall, Gary Powell | |
| 2004 | Can't Stand Me NowSelf-titled album lead; call-and-response dual vocal on the internal split. | Carl Barât, Pete Doherty, John Hassall, Gary Powell |