No Frills Reviews

The Libertines offer up their most fully realised vision of Albion, as it changes before their eyes

There’s certain bands that are intrinsically linked to particular moments in time, whether that’s culturally or personally. The Libertines are one of them. Perhaps the poster boys for the last big hurrah of the British music press, before the internet and streaming changed the landscape. And for many of my generation, they were a gateway into the grim and glamorous world of indie rock & roll.

They were exciting. A band with their own mythology; the romanticism of Albion, Pete and Carl as one of the great yin/yang songwriting duos, and then all the tabloid drama. A band that burned out, long before they could begin to fade away.

But that was 20 years’ ago. Now, that sense of excitement has faded. Despite the breakup and Pete’s well-documented struggles with addiction, they’ve never really went away. From solo efforts to various new bands, there’s been plenty of Libertines’ adjacent releases in the years since, and they’ve largely been forgettable (including the reunion album, which itself is nearly a decade old).

With newfound sobriety, Pete appears to have transformed into a middle-aged Spanish football manager; a beleaguered figure chain-smoking on the touchline. While Carl kind of just looks the same except it’s two decades later; the mid-00’s indie sleaze look feels very unbecoming of a 45-year-old.

At this particular moment in time, the excitement has been replaced by something different. They represent that things aren’t quite the same as they used to be; the passing of time. This feeling permeates All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, for better and for worse.

On the downside, it’s a sense that they’re still pining after past glories. The Carl-led tracks are generally the most upbeat, but you can’t help but feel they lack the spark of the classics, particularly on Oh Shit which comes far too close to Don’t Look Back into the Sun not to draw comparison. He also has a tendency to fall back on lazy clichés and half-baked caricatures, like the Juicy Couture tracksuited mother on Mustang or the runaway young lovers of Oh Shit. At times it can feel like they haven’t evolved their ideas of Albion beyond tired stereotypes.

However, those tracks do offer casual rock & roll fun with big singalong choruses. They may not have the same energy of the old days, but in context they’re essential in maintaining momentum across a really well-paced album. Because, despite my initial pessimism, this turns out to be their strongest outing since their early work.

Where it’s really elevated is when they face up to that passing of time. On opener, Run Run Run, it’s Carl trying to escape life-long bad habits. While on Be Young he offers a bittersweet reminder to enjoy the freedom of youth because life will catch up with you soon enough.

For Pete, there’s creeping realisations that the Albion he dreamt of is fading away, the death of the queen in Shiver signalling history changing in front of our eyes. And on Merry Old England, an acknowledgment that his ideals don’t quite match the realities for refugees without that rose-tinted view. Although that track does fall a bit short of its potential, not really offering much insight beyond vague notions of England not being what it used to. The moments where Pete indulges his literary whims to explore darker themes tend to work better, like the excellent character study Night Of The Hunter or the cryptic Baron’s Claw.

While the chaotic, ramshackle intensity of their youth may not be there anymore, it’s been replaced by competency and versatility. They’re able to seamlessly incorporate orchestral, jazz, and reggae elements (amongst others). Technically, they’re a much better band these days. It makes the album feel far more diverse and three dimensional; allowing them to really immerse you into the world of Albion.

The passing of time means they can’t quite inspire the same excitement they did two decades ago, but the more they reflect on how things have changed, the more they fully realise their visions of Albion.

Best tunes: Night Of The Hunter, Shiver, Be Young

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