The Libertines

The Libertines are an English rock band formed in London in 1997 by co-frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty, whose volatile creative partnership became central to the band's identity and mythology. Emerging alongside the garage rock revival of the early 2000s, the band — completed by bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell — helped spark a new wave of raw, literate British guitar rock.

Their sound combines scrappy, urgent punk energy with a distinctly English romanticism drawn from poetry, Albion imagery, and shambolic charm, heard on songs like «Time for Heroes», «Can't Stand Me Now», and «Don't Look Back Into the Sun». Their debut album Up the Bracket (2002), produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, and its 2004 follow-up The Libertines, are considered touchstones of the 2000s indie rock revival and directly influenced bands such as Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks.

Despite strong critical and commercial success, the band was repeatedly overshadowed by internal conflict, largely tied to Doherty's struggles with addiction, leading to a breakup in 2004. They reunited briefly in 2010 and more fully in 2015 with the album Anthems for Doomed Youth, cementing their legacy as one of the defining British guitar bands of their generation.