Pete Doherty and Carl Barât’s relationship has been called “one of pop’s great rollercoaster romances”. They met in the early 2000s in London and forged the Libertines in the fire of squat parties and guerilla gigs across the capital. The band defined the era’s guitar music – raw energy, bohemian lyricism, “the” band names, hats. Their 2002 debut album, Up the Bracket, produced by the Clash’s Mick Jones, remains a seminal release of the decade, with bleary-eyed garage-rock hits such as I Get Along, What a Waster, and the title single, which have lit up indie discos ever since.
The co-frontmen stuck it out for a few years through thick and thin (thin being Doherty’s numerous arrests, drugs busts and that time he broke into Barât’s flat). It’s a love-hate brotherhood they cemented in the 2004 UK No 2 single Can’t Stand Me Now, which came alive when they performed, jostling for the same microphone.
