Original Release date: 14th October 2002
If you’re in your early twenties, chances are the band that defined your youth was The Libertines. It’s over a decade since Carl and Pete brought us their debut album and we’re still reeling from it. It’s fair to say indie music is on its arse now. No genre can last forever. But in its hay-day it was as important as punk and as British as Brit Pop. In fact, it’s the Britishness of The Libertines which is the key to their success. At a time of bulldogs and Benefit Street it’s important to remember what it is that really shapes our national identity. A good place to start would be the English language. One of the most beautiful languages in human history. A language that has been shaped by Shakespeare, Orwell, Bukowski into works of art on both sides of the Atlantic. Carl and Pete have a love and an understanding of the rich heritage of English and it shines through Up The Bracket from slang and swearing to Oscar Wilde and everything in between.
British humour, which is a by-product of our language, is nothing short of a cultural wonder. This humour, which Doherty saw in Hancock’s Half Hour gives the rough album a charm which pushes it above punk and into an entirely different category, without losing any of that raw energy. There is no doubt that producer Mick Jones was the perfect man for the job. Much like London was the perfect city for The Libertines. Without London we would have no Clash. Without The Clash, we would have no Up The Bracket. Death on the stairs. Vertigo. Time for Heroes. Up The Bracket is an album of anthems. It’s lyrics are complex and rich but the melodies are simple and beautiful. You do not have to understand Pete Doherty to sing along with him.
Although the image on the front of the album is taken from a riot in Argentina it could easily be Brixton. There’s something very British about a riot. Perhaps it’s an inevitable outlet for a culture which keeps things boiling up inside. Stiff upper lip. Keep calm and carry on. Carry on until you hit boiling point. Up The Bracket itself is a riot. Organised chaos. A riot of sound held together with one of the most talented rhythm sections of a generation. Nobody before or since has created such a beautiful portrait of Rock and Roll in all its glory. Rock and Roll at its very best. Creative and destructive in equal measure. If they have a third album in them, the time is ripe and their explosive reunion shows how much they still mean to us.
British humour, which is a by-product of our language, is nothing short of a cultural wonder. This humour, which Doherty saw in Hancock’s Half Hour gives the rough album a charm which pushes it above punk and into an entirely different category, without losing any of that raw energy. There is no doubt that producer Mick Jones was the perfect man for the job. Much like London was the perfect city for The Libertines. Without London we would have no Clash. Without The Clash, we would have no Up The Bracket. Death on the stairs. Vertigo. Time for Heroes. Up The Bracket is an album of anthems. It’s lyrics are complex and rich but the melodies are simple and beautiful. You do not have to understand Pete Doherty to sing along with him.
Although the image on the front of the album is taken from a riot in Argentina it could easily be Brixton. There’s something very British about a riot. Perhaps it’s an inevitable outlet for a culture which keeps things boiling up inside. Stiff upper lip. Keep calm and carry on. Carry on until you hit boiling point. Up The Bracket itself is a riot. Organised chaos. A riot of sound held together with one of the most talented rhythm sections of a generation. Nobody before or since has created such a beautiful portrait of Rock and Roll in all its glory. Rock and Roll at its very best. Creative and destructive in equal measure. If they have a third album in them, the time is ripe and their explosive reunion shows how much they still mean to us.
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