What became of the likely lads? Well, the home of a Libertines band member is currently for sale for £1.95 million with The Unique Property Company.
The musician bought the Victorian property in 2015, in the same year as The Libertines’ third album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, was released. He has lived there with his family since.
As fans will note, it is fitting that the house is on Albion Road, Stoke Newington.
The concept of Albion, a literary term for Great Britain, is one of the band’s central themes, representing a mythic England of art and hedonism. It is referenced throughout their discography, from The Good Old Days (“The Arcadian dream has fallen through/ But the Albion sails on course”) to the song, Albion, which was piloted by The Libertines and released by Babyshambles, Peter Doherty’s second group, in the album Down in Albion.
The Albion was, at one point, a potential band name. The Albion Rooms was also the nickname Carl Barât and Doherty gave to the run-down terraced house in Bethnal Green that they shared, where the band held early guerrilla gigs. Doherty’s journals, now published, are called The Books of Albion.
“The concept [of] ‘Albion’ has long since been a part of The Libertines’ mythology,” said the owner of the house, who did not wish to be named. “The band lived in a squat a little further down on Albion Road in the late 90s and it became a long-term ambition of mine to live there again, only a little more legitimately.
“It was and still is like the Stella Street of the indie world, but also pleasant, historical and down to earth.”
Today, as the owner points out, this £1.95 million period property is a long way from a squat. It has four bedrooms, three reception rooms, 2,583 sq ft of space, its original fireplaces and an open plan kitchen diner, after all. But it bears the stamp of its owners, who designed its interiors —and added a loft extension— very clearly.
It is a dramatic property, with a dark, moody colour scheme. Outside, the external woodwork, window frames and front gate are painted dark grey, in contrast to the white-trimmed townhouses on the street.
The front door —almost black— leads through to a hallway with teal walls and gold radiators, picture frames, mouldings and cornicing. Above, a golden cherub light fitting holds two small chandeliers, while the stairs, straight ahead, have gold bannisters and a leopard print runner.
The theme continues in the living room, with ink-coloured walls, a cast iron period fireplace and decorative gold plastering on the ceiling. The curtains are black, along with the shelves, cabinets and velvet sofa, while the mirror frame, side table and armchair, which sits like a throne in front of the bay windows, are all gold.
In the dining room, the walls are bright pink, with the word ‘LOVE’ in capital letters above the fireplace (topped with a crucifix). Red leather sofas sit before the windows, next to a light-up neon cross on the bookshelf.
There’s a roaring tiger in the sitting room, a leopard print sofa and a glass coffee table with a topless woman lying on her back for a base.
As well as its maximalist interiors and distinctive décor, there are other clues to the house’s indie rock owners.
The dining room contains a vintage 1970s Rock-Ola jukebox, black with a cluster of stars on the front. There is a framed picture of Jimi Hendrix in the hallway and a neon sign with the name of another band, Cruel Hearts Club, in the living room.
And, of course, a guitar, hung on the wall, a keyboard and piano.
If you think these interiors look familiar, you’d be right.
This house, says the owner, was the prototype for The Albion Rooms, the Margate hotel and recording studio opened by The Libertines in 2020.
The hotel (also black, with gold detailing) favours the same vintage furniture and dark colour palette, with rooms painted red, black and gold to match the Libertines’ famous red, military-style jackets.
The Libertines’ new album, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, was recorded at The Albion Rooms, with the hotel pictured on the album cover.
Released on 8 March, it is the band’s first album in nine years.
As the Libertines move forward into a new era, so too does this house.
“It has been a beautiful setting to write and raise children, but it is time for us to move on,” said the owner. “The sea suits us more these days. I dare say we’ll head back to London again one day.”
