The Libertines: Bound Together

I’d heard ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ and liked it loads and bought it. But I remember I saw the cover image of the second album, the one where they’re both showing their tattoos. Weirdly it looked both aggressive and tender simultaneously. It was something I’d never experienced before with a band, most bands are either woefully self-absorbed in their sensitivity or violent in the extreme. I bought the album and found that the image encapsulated the music within; at turns forthright and subtle, belligerent and gentle, all shot through with an overwhelming sadness. It’s a superb yet uncalculated balancing act that makes the band and this album truly magical. The band and this album are modern classics.
Steve Richards, Leeds

I’ll never forget the moment I first saw The Libertines. It was March 2002 and I’d gone to the Bristol Louisiana to see The Vines. I’d never even heard of the support band. I heard a commotion in the crowd behind me and turned around to see four skinny fellas in leather jackets bursting through the crowd. It was The Libertines. There was something intoxicating about them instantly. Something about the way they were looking at each other and laughing as they pushed their way to the stage. I couldn’t take my eyes off Peter and Carl as they fought for the microphone. It wasn’t like seeing any other band I’d ever seen. There was a chemistry, an intensity, an air of passion and desperation in the way they played that left me in no doubt that I was watching something special, that this was more than just a band. Sometime during the Good Old Days – the lyrics of which blew me away - I forgot all about The Vines.
Leon Pollock, Cardiff

When I discovered The Libertines, they were already in the process of breaking up. I was only grasping onto the last threads while they were gasping for their last breath. I was intrigued by ‘What A Waster’ because I had never heard anything like it before. No matter how worn out my Up The Bracket record is, I still experience the exhilarating joy I first felt when 'Vertigo' blasted out of my speakers and I knew that this band would change my life. As the music plays, a story unfolds about death on the stairs, Oscar Wilde, hypocrites, drugs, romance, gin in teacups, kings and queens, Albion and Arcadia. If anything, I’ve learned that just existing isn't good enough, no. You have to live. I am in love with this band. It’s as simple as that.
Sarah, Fresh Meadows, New York

Had a lovely dinner with Peter, Carl and Gary, Spring of 2003 in Boston, MA, before their show at the Paradise. Whereas most bands have the appearance and demeanor of accountants when offstage, the Libs did not disappoint.
The Books of Albion were passed around, waitresses were sat on their laps for photos, food was thrown and Gary's love of Ben Harper was made known. The storybook ending? Peter walking off into the sunset; margarita in one hand, half-finished steak in the other.
See ya onstage, old boy!
Carl Mello, Brighton, MA USA

My love affair with the libertines begun three months before the second album. This is unfortunate because I never got to see them live. I long to witness the passion,fury,dedication and chemistry between Pete and Carl live.It is my dying wish.The libertines to me are the epotheosis of music and has created side projects like babyshambles who are to me the greatest live band of today but Pete and Carls magic and talent will never be beaten.

I did get to see babyshambles live and it was a magnificent experience. I took a four hour bus journey to dublin just to be in with a chance of hearing them from outside the gates of the trinity ball.I spent all my birthday on this journey.I waited until 2.30 in the morning in the freezing cold waiting to hear faint shambolic but beautiful music... then a random man carrying a white board had passes to the ball and I leaped behind him helping him carry the board,getting into a ball under 18,dressed in jeans and without a ticket! They played a stomping set and Pete playing a dream like "time for heroes", my favourite libertines song of all time which was was very apt to the occasion.
Denise, Wexford, ROI

Let's get one thing straight. The Libertines have caused a more varied range of emotions in me than any other music, literature or art. I’ve hated them, and I’ve adored them. That's what makes them so special

My 18th birthday fell on the eve of Babyshambles’ 2004 Christmas gig at the London Astoria. A friend bought me a ticket, and we were looking forward to seeing at least one of the Libertines again. Of course, by 2AM, Peter hadn’t shown. A riot ensued, people got hurt…it was hardly the Arcadian dream. It all seemed such a waste. That’s when I’ve hated them

They're like a girlfriend who you sometimes can't stand to be around, but who you can't get out of your head. I’ve fallen in love to the Libertines. I’ve got drunk to the Libertines. They’ve soundtracked arguments and fights. From the glorious, filthy, witty mess that is Up The Bracket, to the sadness of The Libertines, and to all of Peter, Carl, John and Gary's subsequent offerings, I’ve been entranced. That’s when I’ ve loved them. Up the Albion!
Oliver Seaman, Bury St Edmunds

I remember seeing The Libertines in 2004. My mind was walking the line between whether they were going to be brilliant or whether they were even going to show up-together. In the past year since I had last seen them, there had been the headlines: "Pete's Out!," "Pete Travels to Thailand to Recovery From Crack," "Reunited!," and "Pete's Out! Again!" It was exhausting really, if you were a Libertines fan. We had to follow every headline to find the Holy Grail. And this was it, my Holy Grail. The show was far from disappointing. The stumbling guitars were unaccompanied by the ribboned rants concerning booze, smack, and dames. Being young, passionate, and unconcerned with the opinions of others The Libertines were to me what Shostakovich was to Stalin. They were uncompromising, now they are irreplaceable.
Molly Rogers, New York, NY

What the libertines mean to me! they stand for something beyond contemporary music, the name it self represents something, the lyrics to the songs acually have meaning and passion behind them, this which many bands don't have. For me, the libertines reintroduced and reflects the true work of singing/songwriting. and not only does the music interest me, the tale of the libertines, espescially carl and petes relationship is a classic tale, a tale which some would be believe to be only shakepere's work. The first i heard people talk of the libertines i thought are these going to be another contemporary band following the leaders of british music? I didn't know. But as when i heard the music i knew that this was music to shake up the music industry. And it did. My music tastes have changed alot since i heard the Libertines, i got into more the punky music like The Clash after hearing Up the Bracket, which is strange because it had never appealed to me before. The libertines has changed my music tastes and views forever.
Andrew Robson, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Being Irish and advocate of Irish history,right back to the days of the celtic tribes that dwell in a land called Hibernia,finding The Libertines was like finding a soulmate,people who showed the same sense of interest in their own heritage as I.Lyrically they are the finest group to ever form,they tell me 'I was poor and living in squats and still managed to turn the industry on its head,why not you?'.They give hope,inspiration and above all else quality music to us all,even today they triumph while not being together.Any band that can conjour up wit such as 'he don't like blacks or queers yet he's proud he beat the nazis,how queer',gentle laments such as 'Breck Rd. Lover' and music with majestic quirkyness i.e. 'seven deadly sins' deserve a place in every music lovers heart.We believe in arcadia,not a place but a time when The Libertines will play again. By living dreams(and nightmares) The Libertines gave me hope that barriers between man and music will no longer prevail and that it is possible to live poetry. Up The Libertines!
Dave Phelan, Waterford, Ireland

The first time I heard ‘The Libertines’ was in 2001 at 6:30 in the morning in MTV Brazil, it was the “Up the Bracket” video. My first reaction was stand still in front of TV just watching. The second was buy their album immediately.

I felt a strange comforting melancholy. It was immediately. I saw those four English boys with red jackets playing a song frightening infectious and then I knew: I would never be the same again. But it wasn’t like other new bands I heard once and became fan. It was different with ‘The Libertines’, they woke my deep dreams up.

I never met them and I didn’t even go to their concerts but I feel as if I knew them, as if I was a ‘libertine’ too. And that’s why ‘The Libertines’are special, with their music I felt alive and I notice there are lots of things for me to do, to know and to discover. They changed my life completely and be their fan is the best thing that happened to me. I love them.
Tabata Dias, Rua Mangal, Brasil

I’ve always had strangely powerful reactions to things I love but sometimes I confuse this with hate. This happened with the Libertines. When I first heard them on the radio I was taken over by such anger I found myself shaking and turning it off. I was kinda’ scared by own reaction and a few days later I found myself on thelibertines.org.uk about to watch the “Time For Heroes” video. After it finished I felt shivers run down my spine, the next day I went round to my cousins and“borrowed” both albums. After two days of solid listening my small mp3 player was conquered and I had signed up to the forum. With the help of the Internet my knowledge grew and Bilo and Biggles became my closest companions in a time when I was not at my happiest. Since then I have become an avid albionite and still have to listen to “The Good Old Days” at least once a day. To me the libs’ mean everything life could be and everything its not, and that that’s ok.
Joe Copplestone, Kings Heath, Birmingham

A friend of mine showed me some albums she had got off a shabby local library, and 'The Libertines' was one of them. Somehow my interest in the band existed already, though at the time I knew nothing of the band, probably just heard the name or so. I finally got to listen to the record, though, and that was it, I was totally blown away. I remember only a little of first impressions as I’ve been trying to educate myself with the band ever since, filling in what I had missed so far, but something about polka dots filling eyes and I think I laughed out of pure fascination, the lyrics and the music were so intriguing and pulsating. It is very typical for me to get to hear bands relatively late (though I'm trying to fix that), so I consider myself very lucky to stumble across The Libertines in the first place, whatever the timing. Never has any other band made such an impression upon me, or introduced me to a whole new world of ideas, as have The Libertines. Although I never had the chance of really being there as it happened, for there is a bit of land and sea between, I couldn’t be grateful enough.
Emma Laitila, Oulu, Finland

It was fascinating, they played by their own rules. It reminded me of the rave scene, a phone number or a meeting place would go up online, usually Peter himself would announce it – and there’d literally be a gig starting in a few hours time, in a pub, or a park or even Peter’s home.

I’d never been to a gig in my favourite band’s flat before, so this felt fresh and was an extremely exciting experience. I couldn’t have been in a better place in the world, sat in the front room of an artist held in the upmost esteem by everybody there and then when I spoke to Peter he was down to earth and intelligent, he spoke to my girlfriend on the phone, then sang me happy birthday – you could say it was magical. And there always was a feeling that this was something special and everyone felt connected. It felt as though we were involved in something groundbreaking, and it showed respect for literature and history, it actually felt like we were living it here in albion. Every decade something comes along and changes your life, but this changed our lives for a millenium.
Daniel Hurley, Thames Ditton

I first heard the libertines when the up the bracket video was premiered. It blew my mind, before that i was a chav with no hope. Me and my friends stayed up till six in the morning voting for the video on mtv2, it finally came on and i knew that my generations band had arrived, this band meant something to me. Since that time i have been backstage with pete, listened to the album for the first time on petes laptop, been involved in a fullscale riot at the astoria, had countless amounts with my parents and friends trying to defend a man that takes copious amounts of drugs and generally pisses me of. What do the libertines mean to me? Fucking everything!
Jonny, West Yorkshire

If u asked someone to sum up what The Libertines meant in words all they would have to think about is what they feel when they forget themselves in their songs. Personally The Libertines were and always will be one of the greatest bands of our generation and looking back on 2003 I only wished I could have witnessed them live during what I feel was Their most passionate time. Their has never been anything like them before and I believe that their songs will live on and as for Pete he is a genius looking up at the ' pete is innocent' poster I have on my wall I can see the true poet inside him and I can swear to this Pete we do not care about the drugs, Kate Moss or all the other shit that’s got said about you over the past few years we love you for you. your our LEGEND and the memory of The Libertines will live on xxxxx
Hollie, Southend

Electric, Dazzling and spontaneous. undoubtedly The Libertines have changed the humble British music scene forever. The passion and love for creating original masterpieces have rocketed the band to unprecedented stardom and overwhelming success. The memories will live long in my heart for years to come. I wish it could have been far longer however dreams do not always come true.
John Mullen, Kirkcaldy Scotland

Time For Heroes got my husband and I though some bad days and forever makes us smile.
Julie Cook, Lichfield Staffs

I first heard The Libertines when Don’t look back into the sun came out, before this I wasn’t into music and never cared about a band. Suddenly music meant something to me. I’ve since started a band with three other Libertines fans and regularly go to gigs and talk about music. this may be fairly cliché but they did change my lifestyle and made me value what I have.
Jonathan Cullen, Romford Essex

The first time I saw and met The Libertines was back when Up The Bracket came out and their awe-inspiring gig at the Barrowlands...but that was without Pete! Then came the day The Libertines came back this time they had an ace up there sleeves to make it better than the last visit...Pete n' Carl were together in all there chaotic glory...Everyone in that room knew it would all implode sooner than later. But for that one night everyone witnessed The Libertines put on a clinic of musicianship and masterful lyrics, I'll remember them as they were imperfect, likeable, articulate human beings with the ability and genius to craft songs that Liam and Noel with give there parkas and unibrows for.
Jason, Failfley Clydebank

The Libertines had already broken up when I got to know them. I had read a review in a magazine about the second album and downloaded some songs, but I never really paid any attention to them. Until a good friend told me about them. One night, it was very late, she saw I had some songs of The Libertines on my computer and played them. For the first time I really listened to the songs. And god, I was really blown away. The guitars, the lyrics, the voices. It was all there. After we listened to the songs over and over again, I picked up my guitar and said "I want to play like them. I'll practise my ass off so I can become just as good as them." After seeing some pictures of the band, I really thought they had to be the greatest thing on earth. That night, my friend and I also decided we were going to form a band together. We had the perfect name: The Fucking Noras, named after a quote Pete said on referring to the first time he and Carl had met. We also watched the Newsnight episode with Pete.
We were laughing, 'cause he was obviously pretty wasted, but I remember those big brown eyes and thinking he must be a very sweet and sensitive guy, someone you could stay up with all night and talk about anything you like. Today, their music has been a big inspiration for me. I got much better at the guitar and that would not have happened if it wasn't for The Libertines. I owe them that feeling I get when I play the guitar, I just feel liberated. And to see how many people they have touched with their music, is truly a gift that not everyone has. Their music opened a whole new world for many people, including me.
Ine De Jonge, Knesselare Belgium

The online radio I was listening to that day was really good. Loads of good songs were being played, the next one better than the last. It’s the sense of enjoying the sound of good music, just to pass the time.
Then, The Libertines came up. I froze. This wasn't just any song that I could listen and dance-chair to. This was a song to keep, to treasure, to sing, to cherish for ever and ever. It spoke to me, it hypnotized me. The last time I felt that was when I first listened to Oasis. The Libertines were the most beautiful group I had ever listened to. What they meant, what they portrayed and conveyed. They invited me into their world. No questions asked. They let me stay in there for the wonderful ride, they introduced me to things and feelings that I wouldn’t have been able to even dream. The love and passion between Peter and Carlos...that connection, that furious lust to have each other that reached everyone, that made everyone lust along, it was as if Oscar Wilde was telling the most beautiful love story, and Peter + Carlos were the main characters.
Carlos looks and awful lot like Oscar Wilde, have you noticed? What a resemblance...in the looks, in the passion that Peter has as well, the wit, the fun...everything. The Libertines - what do they mean for me? They are that ultimate gasp given when you see the most beautiful scene...for ever. They are my Albion and my Arcadia.x
Patricia Santa Cruz, Lima Peru

When I think of The Libertines I'm saddened. Turn on your radio and listen to any song and I can guarantee you'll hear lyrics that lack depth, sounds that are pre-fabricated and descriptions so over-used to invoke emotion that all they end up doing is aggravating any true fan of music. The Libertines are an escape from all that. When I hear "Can't Stand Me Now" I'm draw to the lyrics "Have we enough to keep it together? Or do we just keep on pretending and hope our luck is never ending".
Such a simple way to describe any relationship on the cusp of disaster. My hats off to the way they describe an emotion that nearly every person can easily relate to. However it is their ability to combine such lyrics and emotions, as mentioned above, with music that puts them in a class of their own. They have the uncanny ability to make you feel utterly agitated and anxious and then a split second later you're filled with hope and tranquillity. The Libertines are a refreshing escape from the monotony of nearly everything else on the radio. When I think of them I'm saddened at the state of music today, saddened that I won't get any More songs from this foursome and saddened that few artists can touch you on So many levels as The Libertines.
Michael Catalano, Hamilton Ontario, Canada

To me The Libertines symbolise being yourself and not caring what other people thinks of you. It was Pete and Carl who, from the opening bars of Up The Bracket, inspired me to pick up a guitar and write songs about the things that matter to me. The Libertines are a band that changed music forever and I don't think they'll be forgotten.
james bell, washington tyne and wear

The Libertines have meant everything to me in the past few years. I remember listening to Time For Heroes online in some radio station. In Peru you don't get to hear good music, so I usually listened to UK radio stations online. The Libertines came up and I felt this rush and started screaming "oh my god this is so good" like mad! I had never felt as excited about music since the first time I heard oasis. I was in such a rush, I felt my faith for music reborn, everything around me seemed so dull until that moment. everyday since then I just cannot keep my ears off The Libertines, I can't. I need them, it’s that little something I need to go on, they make me feel great, they are my Arcady and my Albion. x
Patricia Santa Cruz, Lima Peru

I am an Englishman stranded partly by choice partly by Necessity in Canada. I am a musician, and before my best friend wrote to me telling me to pick up 'Up The Bracket' I'd been struggling in the midst of being terribly unhappy with the music I was making, but not knowing why. I bought 'Up The Bracket' and listened to it on the forty minute walk back home. Thirty seconds into 'Vertigo' I suddenly realized: "that's it, that's what I'm missing!"

The Libertines made me realize that music needs passion, not depression, or at least my music does. The Libertines made it feel like it was possible to be a hopeless romantic caught up in seas of chaos and intensity and yet still create something stunningly gorgeous.

It sounds clichéd to say it; it sounds selfish and melodramatic to say. but, forty minutes, five cigarettes and one album later, everything had changed.
Alex, Calgary Canada

Libertines made me sad made me happy in the same moment when I saw libertines on FNAC here in brazil (2004) all stop in my body. See Carl sing songs that I love is so wonderfull awesome. yes libertines mean all of bad and good! god and hell, smile and cry. I don't know what to say anymore but libertines is it all. When I close my eyes and listen don't look back into the sun I can fly away I can pass in the fire I can control the thunders , I can do all in my mind.
Lindberg, Marapé-Santos-São Paulo-Brazil

I first heard The Libertines in about June 04 the song was Up The Bracket I laughed at the beginning were he screams down the mic, but after I that I was blown away, what a great song! The next time I was in town I was going to buy the album, the album I bought was 'The Libertines' one, it was amazing .The next time I was in Edinburgh I bought Up The Bracket then Time
For Heroes, then Up The Bracket(single)then Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. I started to look at them on internet and I had seen Pete in papers and stuff and I was annoyed by how Pete was portrayed by the press. The libertines for me then were the best band since the clash and they were sort of similar. I downloaded some videos of them on the internet and they were amazing live only when Pete was sober or not high, he was never as bad as how the press said he was though. I started to get into Babyshambles, Babyshambles for me weren’t as good but still amazing, I went to see them at Greenock and they were fantastic. a few days after that gig I read in the papers so much shit about them, some bits were true but exaggerated and some bits were a lot of shit. In a few days I am going to see Babyshambles and in march I'm off to see Dirty Pretty Things, even now when I hear the Libs or Babyshambles I feel like the day I heard them-not a care in the world and so much energy and excitement......cant wait till Babyshambles and Dirty Pretty Things!!!!!
Connor, east lothian

I switched on MTV2 a few years ago, and a video called "Time For Heroes" was on, and not only was the song awesome with its aggressive, catchy riff, and superb lyrics but they looked so cool and most importantly they were part of the public. They are a peoples band, they encapsulate everything about modern day life, not posh and stuck up, but ordinary working class guys with exceptional talent.

They create songs for every occasion - "Good Old Days" for looking back In the past and remembering the good times. Also "Cant Stand Me Now" not only relating to Pete and Carls relationship but relevant to any within society.

They are a band you'd die for, not only for their songs but also for their live performances, packed full of energy and excitement, the best I’ve ever witnessed. You get an emotional connection with every up and down that occurs within the band, which happens with no other band.

They simply are a band of the people, for the people.
Scott Bingha, Prestwick

My love for The Libertines is beyond comprehensible, often even To myself. The first time I heard their music, an unfamiliar feeling wasaroused within me, and I finally felt that I belonged. I felt at ease the more I heard this beautiful composition, and have never been so sure about something in my entire life. One thing's certain; every about this bandwill stay with me forever- the music, the melodies, the members...and unknown to them, this is one fan who is never going to give up believing.
Kirst, Ayrshire Scotland

I’m not one to kiss an tell, when I lost my virginity it was in the back of a VW Beetle, my girl at the time was some 3 years older, as we moved to the back seat, she decided a bit of music was needed to complete to mood. Needless to say the sex was shite, but something happened to me deep down, you may think it was the pleasure of having nookie in the back of a car with older a chick, but I believe it was 'Don't Look Back Into The Sun' on EP. it has touched me deep down and now when ever I here those drums and the snappy guitar strums it reminds me of, one of the best nights of my life, I can only compare this to the time when I was the Libs for the first time, I’ve met Liam, Noel and Morrissey. but seeing Pete onstage with his leather jacket open an basically looking fucked, the rest were all shadows in the back o my mind, my only regret was not getting closer to him, maybe actually talk to him. Once in a while in music a person comes along who transcends all others around him, like john Lennon before him (an maybe Morrissey) Pete has reached this iconic status. even though they've split, they still live on in the hearts and minds of those who care! peace and love
sam cunliffe, crewe cheshire

Pete and Carl, looking at each other lovingly while singing"Don't look back into the Sun" during our first time in London - that's what comes out when we think of The Libertines. We especially remember the time when, after having lost our way, we ended on the Vallance Road by chance and enjoyed a cigarette which tasted of "The Good Old Days".
Never before did music play such a huge part in our lives: "Up The Bracket", which sounded like eternal youth and friendship - with Pete's cry which is that of freedom in the riots - and "The Libertines", which marked the melancholy sunset of a glorious day, never-to-be-seen-again. What moves us most about these lads is the fact they seem to be two one-legged men who, once they're put together, form everything that life means to us: love, hate, sex, passion, softness, hysteria when we "twist, scream and shout for the boys in the band".
The "London Calling" spirit never felt so truthful and pure, as Pete And Carl turned this revolutionary song into an ode to friendship and a Hymn to music:
"I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong" (W. H. Auden).
Laura Mendelzon, Paris

Being American, The Libertines have always held some Indefinable English quality about them, some impossible to describe aura that radiated from them always. But it was so much more than that; the quavering, intense, almost falling apart sound to their songs; a raw sort of fervour that tore through their lyrics and made evident their passion, not only for music, but each other. Carl and Pete's on-a-knife-edge relationship, the fragile balance that kept them speeding down some crash course, it came through the music, every tense note and prolific vocal. They were perfect together; there was this knee-jerk reaction to one another that irrevocably drew them together. There was always a ruffling of hair, an arm around shoulders. That kind of ardent, unadulterated passion, that hedonistic edge that would eventually destroy them, that sense of camaraderie that was so potent- use all the comparisons in the world; there never has and never will be another band like The Libertines.
Christina Potamousis, USA

Once in a bar in Philadelphia, during a New York Yankees game, And after a libertines show I ran into Carl coming out of the bathroom. I Said "Carl, could I trouble you for a hug?" he said "surely." it was nice.
Slade, Lancaster Pa USA

The Libertines, I really don’t even know where to start. I first seen them in about 2003, in Stockton, at our annual festival, & I was captivated, the chemistry on stage was one that I had not seen before, so, I looked all around for something about them, & found up the bracket... wet an album, after that came The Libertines, which, if possible, I preferred. When they split I was devastated, but found comfort in Babyshambles. I am going to see them in four days, at Newcastle Carling academy, & I could not be more excited! I have also been to see Yeti, which, although they were amazing, they are not a patch on Pete!
Nic, Middlesborough

The Libertines seem to have almost accidentally, almost in spite Of themselves, encapsulated what Rock 'N' Roll has always been about; the good and bad, yes and no, ying and yang.

They were ambitious yet reckless, close and supportive yet combative And jealous, carefully crafted yet whimsically haphazard.

Although surely very few possess their unique talents we can still Relate on some ineffable level. Why? Because they serve to remind us of our own duality. They reflect the angel and the demon, the confident cocksure swagger and the shrinking painful insecurities which live side by side within us all.

They are somehow extraordinary and common all at once, and that has always been a potent combination since Elvis first took the stage, curled his lip and changed the world forever.
James Campbell, Atlanta GA

The Libertines mean 00's rock and roll. I wouldn’t have even heard half of the bands I like now if it wasn’t for listening to The Libs. Pioneers, Martyrs, Heroes. They are fucking genius. Long live the Albion dream!
Joshua Gregory, Rossendale Lancashire

Like a love story or the parting of best friends The Libertines caused me to find emotions within myself that until that time I had never revealed. I can still remember the first time I saw their video on television, but to me it was all a blur...the red military jackets...the chubby hamster cheeks of Peter and they way they bound forth and came with the promise of changing the way millions of young people throughout Britain would look at music...at least for a while until they found someone else to obsess about.

The Libertines filled me with joy, I found myself swaggering around, Marlboro lights in one hand and another clutching my leather jacket whilst I staggered out of the nearest pub I had been in with my friends some minutes before. I got a guitar I bought near identical clothes and I asked Carlos’s mother herself what conditioner Carlos used on his locks To keep them looking so wonderful..(coconut conditioner if you were wondering) I became obsessed. they were new to me. they were fresh. They screamed of a revolution and I for one would be joining them as they sailed along...they were not a band to be missed and neither were they to be forgotten...ten years time we will still be screaming their songs, our throats hoarse...and united, by our love of The Libertines.
Lauren Sullivan, COULSDON SURREY

I’d heard The Libertines on the radio a coupleof times and I thought their music was really unique and tasteful, so I decided to get their album.The music on the album was just as I imagined, a feeling swept over my body every time I listened to horror show. The words rang in my ears throughout the next few days, what really made me laugh is how it made my friends really annoyed and I replied with a simple ‘it’s good music people.’
As soon as the second album came out, I rushed to the shops. The music On the album was yet again, AMAZING! With all the problems with Pete including his drug addiction and after that hearing they were breaking up because of it, made my heart sink. Pete is still one of my all time heroes, and The Libertines one of the best British bands I’ve ever heard. I wish Babyshambles and Dirty Pretty Things all the luck in the world, But hope The Libertines will fight the world again!
Christy, Pimlico London

I remember when they first came about and I started hearing tit bits about them, and I managed to get all the wrong information about them, I though they were an American hip hop act. it wasn’t until Time For Heroes came out that I heard their music and that was by accident, Just randomly listening to Xfm. I’e been hooked on them ever since what I love about them during the height of their success apart from the music (which of course is fantastic) but also the impromptu gigs etc it was all so exciting to follow. the music means a lot to me as well, 2003/4 was a hard time for me, I lost some people who were dear to me and I was also bullied at school, and during that time Up The Bracket was the main album in my CD player so it saw me through a rather tough time in my life, which I am very thankful for.
Saima Ferdows, Winchester

Twas' on a cold afternoon when I first heard the whimsical and compelling sound of The Libertines. I was immediately drawn to this gritty, down to earth sound blaring out of my stereo.
Then when I finally found the official website on the internet, I decided to take a little trip to my local HMV, and bought Up The Bracket. The songs were lyrically amazing and, well, they also sounded amazing.
Then came the second album, which, when it came out, I was sad to learn that Peter Doherty had become estranged from The Libertines. However, the self-titled second album lived up to my expectations, yet the lyrics also seemed strangely prophetic, which was exemplified by the fact that Peter had been kicked out.
Since then I have heard Babyshambles, which I must say I like more than Dirty Pretty Things and Yeti. I also went to a Brixton Academy gig (October 11th) where the Shambles pulled of a triumphant gig, in which Peter was looking well and as were the rest of the band.
In some ways The Libertines have been an essential part of English Life and music, giving kids like me inspiration.
They are, perhaps, the greatest band ever formed...
Sonny Brown, Chingford London

Seeing The Libertines perform in the Barrowlands in Glasgow was one of the best live performances I have seen. I have never seen a crowd get so involved with the band and the atmosphere was so intense it was just amazing.
There songs are so catchy and are easily recognised as being a Libertines’ number. Libertine means riotous living and I feel that’s how they behave at and perform at their gigs, it's amazing!
Lindsay Matheson, Skipton North Yorkshire

Shepherds Bush, late 2002 was the first glimpse I had of The Libertines as they supported Supergrass. Four wide-eyed lads from the City were carted out for a strum or two. 'Boys In The Band' was love at First listen. Something special had arrived. 'Up The Bracket' is my favourite album of all time. Innocence and originality penetrates the collection of tracks and makes this masterpiece unique.
Pete and Carl were lovers who's tiffs were played out in front of many, but more importantly their chemistry produced something special each time they staggered and flaunted with the mic. My lasting memory of The Libertines will be losing my trousers whilst crowd surfing at the 2004 Reading Festival as Carl belted out the potent anthem, 'I Get Along'. Sprinting past the crammed front row of die-hards in my Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle Y Fronts was something I could've done without, but hey, that's rock 'n' roll! Cheers for The Good Old Days and the tracks that will forever vibrate And rattle through our lugholes.
Legends.
Craig Robinson, Reading

I first heard The Libertines after a shopping trip with my family. Whilst in a certain national dog-related record store I spotted 'Up The Bracket.' I'd ever heard of this band before but the artwork intrigued me. Furthermore, t he song titles themselves intrigued me. Who, back in 2002, had songs called things such as 'What A Waster' and 'Up The Bracket?' Certainly not the Squeaky clean pop superstars I was beginning to turn my back on. something about this CD made me feel I HAD to have it. With this record my life would be complete. When the time came to go home, I wasted no time in placing 'UTB' into my CD player and turning the Volume up to max. What I heard ignited a passionate love affair with the band that have since shaped my life and seen me through thick and thin. 4 long years have flown by since and I can honestly say life wouldn’t be the same without my darling Libertines. My only regret is that it ended so soon. The Libertines - a band to save your life. Lord knows, they saved mine.
Rhian Daly, Saffron Walden Essex

As an Anglophile living in the United States The Libertines have come to mean England to me. They sparked an obsession with the country, so much so that I've visited it several times now and plan to go there as soon as I'm eighteen.
I love The Libertines because of their Englishness--they are eccentric about it. It is obvious through their music that they cherish the history of their beloved Albion, and they are intelligent and ardent enough to draw on old history and literature for inspiration. That is why I love them—because I adore old poetry so much, and I hear echoes of it in Libertines’ songs. What other band sings of Arcadia and Queen Boadicea?
When I listen to “The Good Old Days” I don’t know whether to cry or Break out a book of Keats—so I do both.
To me there is a manifesto of images that are The Libertines: cloudy spring days, messy clothes, small smoky pubs that are painted dark red and a feeling so innocently passionate that I think I might fall overboard…but Albion sails on course…
Greta Reo, Fair Haven New Jersey, United States

my mate forced me to listen to death on the stairs and I Complied with little regret-it was instant love. a couple of weeks later I bought Up The Bracket and it was the first time in a long time that I thought every track in an album was banging. songs such as 'tell the king', the melodies, and what they sang about drove me mad. I didn’t think I fully understood what they stood for but they made me eager to learn and find out. the music was so powerful that it made me want to change myself and find out what these mystics were on about. what was strange was that it was all unfolding right as I started getting into it. all the troubles that had existed seemed like a sweep to the past. everything was so incredibly intriguing that it was hard to let go.
john, london

The first time I ever heard The Libertines was when I was twelve, on an otherwise depressingly boring journey to school, when Don’t Look Back Into the Sun lurched out of the radio and into my life. Everything about it was contradictory and confusing - a false start that sounded like a far-off steam train, two different singers, words of regret set to music of delirious joy - but it filled a hole in my soul that I didn’t know existed. As it collapsed into shrieking feedback, I could almost feel an invisible hand - maybe Pete or Carl’s - reach out and grab me by the throat. Who knows, the clouds may have parted, and a voice from the heavens may have said, “Little girl, that was your old life, but this is your new one”; but my ears were too full of diamonds to notice.
Nearly three years on from that morning, I can see how much it has changed me. I’ve learned that I can’t just keep my head down, sit meekly and wait for my life to run its course, and that, instead of following a destiny that’s mapped out for me by other people, I can shape my own. And I think that I have The Libertines to thank for kick-starting me into action and letting light into my life, and I can only hope that, regardless of what band the four members are in now, they continue to affect other people in the same way.
Tara Mulholland, Cricklewood London

To say the least about The Libertines would probably be to say that they changed my life. I heard the superb single version of Death on the Stairs on a free Observer CD and it dawned on me that my life was never going to amount to anything untill I had reached that level of sheer talent that they possessed. The sound of noisy, urgent, punky guitar made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, as the beautiful, melodic tones of Pete and Carl singing affected me in a way I didn't think was even possible. I suddenly felt like I knew what I wanted to do for the first time in my life. I wanted to do what they did so well. The chemistry between the band was obvious even on CD. The perfect pairing of Pete and Carl was more than a match made in heaven, it was a match made in places far beyond heaven. I still find it hard to put into words how fulfilled and inspired
The Libertines.
Logan Hadley Kershaw, Bristol

I don‘t want this to be a eulogy. The Libertines were never perfect. Their songs could be melodic yet discordant. The lyrics vulnerable yet guarded. The band raw yet manufactured. But it is exactly these contrasts that made The Libertines so believable and their music and words so potent. The Libertines struck a chord among a generation that is fucked up on a lot of stuff, if you know what I mean. Their frighteningly poignant and expressive lyrics captured feelings of isolation, neediness and happiness effortlessly, never appearing clichéd or presumptuous. The first time I heard them, Pete sang ‘But it’s just like we’re all in another world…but we never get close. That’s close enough now…‘, and I was hooked.
The lines were simple and the words few, but their eloquence immeasurable.
The Libertines captured my conflicts within and without. Their close relationship with their fans established the band as the new generation of punk - the new generation of bands prepared to defy stereotypes and attract support from the very grassroots. And of course, apart from the strong social and personal statement of their music, the band’s catchy tunes have always made me wanna dance!
Aditi Vira, Northwood

What The Libertines meant to me.
"The Good Old Days" thinking over your time at school with your friends, playing after school. The Libertines were feel good music dancing around in your bedroom listening to Carl and Pete sing their hearts out, having your sister to turn it down because she doesn’t like it. The Libertines meant to me that having an argument with your best friend it would all work out. The Libertines always meant to stick by your friends however bad things may be getting between you two. The Libertines remind me of my summer holidays up in Wales with nothing to do but The Libertines would always get you through, sitting in the sun moving your head to the beat and singing along. The Libertines meant to me having good times with my sister competing with each other to work out what Pete and Carl are saying. The Libertines meant that you could sing about anything you wanted, anything you like, sing for the moment and to live to your hearts content, do things on the spur of the moment. The Libertines meant not to be afraid of what to say even if you say it out loud but you only hear it as long as you said it. Even thought The Libertines aren’t together anymore, they will always be playing in my house and being sung wherever me and my friends and family go.
Angharad Morris, Bristol

The first time i heard a Libertines' song it was 'What Katie Did' I said 'hey, this band looks pretty good', then i bought "The Libertines". It was a both confused and melodic music and, well, I loved it. I simply adored "Up the bracket" too, and, later, the fantastic "Down In Albion" (my favourite album), and Accousticalullaby (acoustic songs from Pete which transport you to another universe). Dirty Pretty Things 'Bang Bang' is a Hymn, Carl seems to be back. These 4 boys changed something in my life, in my perception of Rock and of music in general, but more than it, to me Pete's life symbolize Freedom and its issues in our controlled society. I wish Pete and Carl to finally find Arcady, and, whatever will happens to Pete, his music will still last forever. I hope someday I'll see Carl or Pete in concert... someday...

A Great French Fan, waiting for Yeti, Dirty Pretty Things and Pete Doherty new albums.
Jb, Ramonville

The first time I've heard the Libertines I didn't understand. Who was this staggering band?! I was fascinated by their energetic, rhythmic and so melodious songs. At first I thought it was an old band from the good old days of rock, when punk appears. Well, I hadn't understood. I couldn't stop listening, I was in awe of them. I'm French, I live in France, and I have the feeling that I've missed something, an enormous thing. Awakening of rock, messy and excelent shows... I could -and now I can- just dream about it. Then Carl and Pete had an argument, and delivered us a second album expressing their quarrel. So disappointing... The Libertines was the most powerful, obsessive and talented band of this decade. "What a Waster", "Boys In The Band", "Up The Bracket", "Can't Stand Me Now", will stay forever. The Libertines have impressed me so much, and have changed my vision of rock. You know it’s as when I listen to the Beatles: something happens, but impossible to describe what is it. Melancholy, happiness, adversity, joy… all this feelings mix together to make an only one. That’s this feeling I feel deeply when I listen to the Libertines, the Earth stops turn, or sometimes turns twice more fast.
Leclercq Victor, VALLANGOUJARD FRANCE

I love the way The Libertines and Babyshambles are so unpredictable. I don't want to go to a gig and see the same set I saw the band do before. I don't want to see the lead singer jumping around like a girl. I want to go to a gig and see the band loving what they do, interacting with the crowd and the lead singer dancing like a loon. That is exactly what you can expect from a Babyshambles gig and a whole lot more.
Although I never saw The Libertines live I am pretty damn sure you would of got exactly the same amazingly unpredictable show. When Pete was arrested and the Newcastle gig was cancelled Adam and Drew played at the after party, which was completely amazing. Pete and Carl have changed the music of today you would not have any of these new indie bands if we did not have The Libertines. You can hear The Libertines in nearly every new indie band of today. Thank god for The Libertines music today could not be better.
Danielle, Eaglescliffe Stockton-on-Tees