Friday mp3: The Libertines

The Libertines were, for a short while, pretty fucking exciting. What's gone on since, be it Babyshambles, Dirty Pretty Things, or the grating headlines, shouldn't take away from the fact that for a short period they were one of few British bands worth bothering with.

Signing to Rough Trade in 2001 they secured support slots with The Vines and The Strokes. Debut single 'What A Waster', produced by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, caught the attention of Radio One and the NME. A debut album followed in the form of Up The Bracket, widely considered to be a modern classic. Shortly after, the band began to experience problems and the relationship between its two main songwriters broke down, not before a second record was squeezed out.

The rest was pretty boring and pointless; drugs, wars of words, a split, all your typical rock 'n roll fayre. It's probably fair to say, though, that the band were significant in reintroducing punk and garage ethics into mainstream British music, both in terms of style and accessibility, with gigs often played in flats, or at venues without notice. The tunes were pretty decent, aswell.

They were also quite a strong b-sides band, with an endless list of demos, sessions and rarities available for free download through fan websites. I think this track, 'The Delaney', from their debut American EP, is the strongest they made.

MP3: The Libertines - The Delaney
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