"Can't Stand Me Now" - The Shipwreck of The Libertines | New British Canon

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After OK Computer, British guitar music kind of stalled. Britpop was dead. Travis and Coldplay were there leading the way, with Cast, Embrace and Stereophonics filling the gaps. It was anthemic, aspirational, acoustic but lacked energy and bite. But then the Libertines! Taking notes from The Kinks, Jam, Clash and Strokes they enlivened the British indie scene, singles like “What a Waster” and “Time For Heroes” reveling in reckless abandon, Wildian lyricism and tales about rock’n’roll valhalla. But by their first NME cover, the band were disintegrating under a wave of drugs, arrests and punchups. This is New British Canon and this is the story of “Can’t Stand Me Now.”
#TheLibertines #PeteDoherty #MusicDocumentary
Fact-checking by Serenity Autumn.
This video is sponsored by Surfshark.
Soundtrack:
Luar - Beyond ( / luarbeats )
B-Side - Pen Unubis
Jesse Gallagher - Maestro Tlakaelel
Luar - Anchor ( / luarbeats )
0:00 Introduction
02:23 The Albion Sets Sail: Up The Bracket
08:00 The First Dissolution of The Libertines
11:54 "Can't Stand Me Now"
17:32 "An Ending Fitting For The Start"
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[@TrashTheory]

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[@danozism]

Nice one mate, well done. I saw the Libs in Melbourne Australia in 2004 with Anthony. They were rockin, but it could never really be the Libs without Pete. I'm glad I was there to see Carl, Garry and John- and Anthony, who did a great job, considering!

[@a.4707]

Can you please make a video about the Strokes :)

[@scabthecat]

Shipwreck? Surely train wreck.

[@annnee6818]

Vpns don't work with Netflix most of the time, even they've stopped peddling that lie, but they make you say it? That's rough, man.

[@nickmoranis2865]

Utter bollocks.

[@crab-dogjones4659]

Being American I know only three things about the Libertines: there's a guy in the band named Pete Doherty, he either dated or was married to Kate Moss, and he had a pretty severe drug problem that was common knowledge. Somehow the American press never picked up on the fact that the band was good.

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

Didn't help that they were never able to go back to the US, iirc because Doherty wouldn't have been allowed in.

[@TimmyTickle]

I’m Australian and knew pretty much the same three things (plus a fourth: Pete was friends with Amy Winehouse) Never actually heard any of their music until this video (although I had heard one Babyshambles song around the time they released Down In Albion without realising who it was)

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

To be fair here in the UK they were one of those student bands like the smiths I've never heard anybody that didn't go to uni say they like the smiths, most of the bands publicity was literally Pete they had a couple of songs on the radio but the legend of the band is bigger than they ever actually were afterall they got kept off number 1 by baby cakes although god I miss 2004

[@AmandaFromWisconsin]

I'm American and that's basically all I know about the Libertines.

[@revol148]

@Mad Mike the band didn't sing in American accents, dress like Americans and never really toured there much - all 3 things which are required for a band to break it big there hence the reason why Coldplay, Radiohead & The rollingstones made it big there.

[@prodbyANT]

The Libertines: *crash and burn, leaving a void in the UK indie rock spectrum* Arctic Monkeys: *dances onto the scene like Theresa May*

[@alistairmonaghan6515]

haha...and what a dance

[@bobux1987]

Shame the dance changed, I blame hunger for U.S. success.

[@Oooo-pw7nn]

@@bobux1987 or growth? u can't expect 30 year olds to still be doing teenage indie rock music

[@Luchiop]

@@Oooo-pw7nn agreed, if they want seniors singing about teenage angst and sounding the same, they´ve got green day,

[@MadeOfStone02]

More talent in Libertines than AM by a mile

[@nickegan3988]

Fascinating stuff. I once heard PD described as: "Pete Doherty, a talented and promising young drug addict, whose life and career have been fatally sidetracked by writing and performing music".

[@LuckeGabriel]

He was the 2000's punching bag, and many wrote him off as a talentless druggie. So far from the case.

[@pinkimietz3243]

@@LuckeGabriel He is a talentless druggy.

[@evannewell3335]

@@pinkimietz3243 tweaker yeah, talentless no.

[@king--kang.]

Hahah that's funny

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

@@evannewell3335 Mate if I spent 20 years doing nothing but heroin and listening to the smiths I could do a pretty convincing tribute act too...

[@brianmcclments7801]

The press were desperate for Peter to join the 27 club and be the ones to break it, thankfully he stuck around 😎

[@sarahmouchrif4167]

Thank god he still here, yes, he only kills Amy Winehouse with his shit

[@lukeporcher6378]

@@sarahmouchrif4167nah that was her boyfriend at the time Blake who got her into hard drugs

[@falloutfreeman627]

"A man who greeted chaos like an old friend outside a prison" is a beautiful line. Wonderful video overall.

[@SoSo-li6dn]

For all Pete Docherty's failings, he is a great lyricist. I respect the man a lot.

[@Hexon66]

That was always where it fell down for me. I liked the music a lot, but the voice and the words coming from it, just didn't land. Plus, it was so repetitive. Simple was best with Doherty. Arbeit Macht Frei was frankly low hanging fruit as a theme for a song, but it's minimalism was his best work.

[@ampersand2001]

This is the best series on the KZbin....I look forward to each and every episode. Thank you for your hard work to make such informative and entertaining videos.

[@gcarraig]

Yuuuuuup

[@richteffekt]

Same

[@saltypatriot4181]

Check out AmericanSpy Fox 🦊 , Polyphonic , or Middle 8

[@Scrowlock12]

100% agreed

[@DavidBalmbra]

Hands down, smashing stuff!

[@kjkokekhkiklkl]

The most positive thing is now that Pete is healthy and the two friends are friends. What an amazing band though

[@lydiachebbine6326]

for some reason i was on the verge of tears the entire episode. the libertines touch something inside me that i hardly understand. been a massive fan for well over a decade. fantastic video as always and long fucking live albion

[@Wolfiegreenwood]

I'd never heard that sink story before. Jesus.

[@jacobbeckwith2296]

Alan McGee spoke about it on a short lived podcast done by Shaun Ryder and Bez. Gory details like but interesting nonetheless. Sure it’ll still be up

[@Tdawgmcginty]

Me neither. Brutal

[@mattiemclean9882]

@@jacobbeckwith2296 There is an even better interview done by a channel called "22 grand"... check that out. Very graphic!!

[@512TheWolf512]

don't do drugs, kids

[@caro_lam]

man i'll never forget that summer when Pete broke into Carl's flat, the Pete-less appearance on TOTP, his eventual release from prison. that was a wild time

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

and then amy came along

[@jeromealexandre4162]

A lot of people don’t realise he broke in to get his own equipment

[@mattwroe4776]

If you leave stuff in someone's house you don't kick the door in to get it back when you need to pawn it for smack you wait

[@jeromealexandre4162]

@@mattwroe4776 . When you are in need of a drug there is no time to “ wait”. I am a personal friend of Peter’s and was around when all this stuff happened .

[@henrygvidonas9573]

@@jeromealexandre4162 Get better friends!

[@kolbykauffman4180]

I never heard the 'Can't Stand Me Now' demo. God, I wasn't even privy to the context. A lot of that was kinda heartbreaking. I feel for Doherty. I was in the same way; couldn't handle the brown. It changes everything.

[@youthofyesterdayrecords]

Yeah. In the US west it was black tar. Even when you are free from it you still get those dreams... the dreams are the hardest part.

[@adriatic.vineyards]

@@youthofyesterdayrecords Using dreams are extremely normal and common. I found that reading into the psychological explanations made them far less distressing.

[@ParapluieDefenestrator]

the world kicks back a lot fucking harder

[@euanssomnoloussounds1569]

It gave me the worst depression id ever had and even now after 5 years of sobriety the demons still linger.

[@sitluxetluxfuit4481]

No one can handle the brown friend.

[@dalryans]

My grandmother’s sofa makes an appearance halfway through. From a pensioner’s home in North Ayrshire to an ass supporting role in an early 00’s faux squat of rock n roll notoriety in Bethnal Green. What a journey.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

What is the story here?

[@dalryans]

Mid 20s drifting. The sofa flitted with me to London. We had a good time living across from Filthy's and again in Dalston. But it wasn't coming with me to Berlin. So, I sold it to a couple of mates who had just got a new place.

[@iainmcclure416]

There's a song in that story!

[@babymilksnatcher]

Had the chance to see them on stage recently. Mad impressed by the energy and charisma Doherty still conveys on stage despite of all the drugs, and the love that was overflowing from the entire group. It took them long to acknowledge it and stop hurting themselves, but these lads truly love each other.

[@deadlegs187]

I'm so happy that Pete got old. He looks happy these days

[@HelloShitty08]

I'm still hoping that the next rehab will be his last. Unfortunately he's still prone to relapsing. But the story a few years ago about him completing a "breakfast challenge" and not having to pay for it and looking so god damn happy in the picture makes me smile to this day.

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

@@HelloShitty08 That's a huge deal I've had to self medicate an illness for 25 years and I miss breakfast but always too sick. To eat it

[@kitano47]

you seen the pic of him eating that big fried breakfast? lad looks happy af

[@ramseyhassan9941]

This was a very funny take that leaned a lot on myth and missed out on a lot of the interesting things about this band - which for me was how they used the internet - their forum was a very key instrument for their success and self-mythology and that line they often spoke "you don't have to play in the libertines to be a part of the libertines" their branding of and relationship with their fans was pre-Gaga use of 'Monsters' - how they'd post their inner most thought as the drama happened created a parasocial relationship. what strikes me those most listening back and looking at how they presented themselves was the elegiac British Empire nostalgia which hit upon all the loss of British global significance that Brexit capitalised on later

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

Yes. It's also interesting to note that that ethos - forum, direct contact, guerilla gigs at home - was both what made them great and part of the issue. Barat has commented on how the lack of boundaries was exhilarating for them, but added to the eventual breakdown because it never stopped. That last bit - yeah, wow. Never thought of it that way, though I now look with a very different eye at the Albion image of Britain they conjured up all the time. It's interesting, also, how the Anglophilia that British revival brought with it has turned into Germanophilia in certain parts.

[@ramseyhassan9941]

@@TrulyMadlyShallowlythe vintage red army coats you'd see in Zulu and The Man Who Would be King is so racist in retrospect but i'm sure there were ppl back then who spotted that but i was a dumb kid then. very daily mail nostagia for a britain that was great for all the wrong reasons

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

@@ramseyhassan9941 Yeah. Can't remember hearing any of it except for people calling it out as silly (which it sometimes was - at least a bit juvenile, but hey, youngsters) But then, if people spotted it then I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have said or others wouldn't have listened let alone understood. Not sure I would've.

[@TimmyTickle]

@@ramseyhassan9941I think of it as more Daily Express nostalgia

[@ramseyhassan9941]

@Rory Hi! I was actually a big fan and 'friend' (as much as the parasocial Camden scene was) of Carl's during that era - they were not racists but the nostagia for Empire in the lyrics (especially on the debut) and the imagery of the band is undeniable - things that would not fly today. As people they are lovely

[@dogmanstar2003]

dude i swear you make videos catered to my specific obsessions... thank you so much for this

[@mattkomar7622]

Extremely nerdy shit to bring up, but that vid of the Doherty-less Libertines with a hat wearing Barat was performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, not Letterman.

[@Trickboy2345]

A video in this format about the manic Street preachers would be so good,equally as volatile but uncredited for the mark theyleft on music.

[@postpunkprincess]

I would love that!!

[@breno855]

Oh my god I want this now!

[@HazelRaah]

Yes please!

[@jimmypadilla3441]

It's up now if you haven't seen

[@Ellz66]

Up the Bracket is one the best albums front to back. Seminal.

[@dorksouls978]

Overrated beyond all rational explanation. As your take on it demonstrates quite well.

[@Ellz66]

@@dorksouls978 you sound like a right laugh.

[@dorksouls978]

@@Ellz66 cheers!

[@missm1548]

@@dorksouls978 It's okay to say "I don't get it" without using the word "overrated"

[@dorksouls978]

@@missm1548 indeed it is.

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

Very well told, this. I appreciate the focus on the competitiveness between the two and not just the drugs. Fun fact about Arctic Monkeys: their demo's were traded furiously on Libertines forums and are said to have played a big part in the instant success of the first album in 2005 - people already knew their stuff by heart, they sang along at gigs.

[@sara-cl1ls]

YOURE MY FAVOURITE KZbin CHANEL AND THE LIBERTINES ARE MY FAV BAND!!! THANK YOU THIS IS AMAZING

[@RabbidTheNabbit]

so THAT'S WHY the start of can't stand me now is so loud out if nowhere but then goes quiet, honestly i'm glad they kept it in

[@konsta9600]

What a great video. I’m from Finland and the Libertines were/are one of my favourite bands ever. I saw them live in Sheffield few years back and it blew my mind, how they still rocked and put the crowd in an absolute frenzy.

[@dondamon4669]

‘A man who greeted chaos , like an old friend outside a prison’ ...brilliant!

[@anakarolynajinha]

It's funny how often The Strokes are mentioned as precursors to the shift in rock in the 2000s, and yet there are so few videos exploring their influence. That'd be a super interesting deep dive to watch

[@richardcartlidge2668]

Being there at the time, they really did. Before it was all baggy trousers and trashy nu-metal, and suddenly there was a tight classic guitar band wearing tight classic jeans. The music scene turned on a pinhead overnight

[@aeneas237]

Yep. I lived through it in the US but the problem was that in the US they got derided for being derivative, so when groups inspired by them showed up from the UK they didn’t last long. I do think that a lot of UK bands are drawing on UK rock traditions that Americans don’t know much about. Ask an American if they’ve heard of Aztec Camera and they’ll think you’ve had a stroke. One big thing Americans don’t get is the cheeky self promotion that is really tongue in cheek or the fact that contrary to Interpol a lot of these groups just wanted to have fun and sweat up a gig

[@dahliafiend]

Check out Meet Me In The Bathroom. The book is better but the movie is good.

[@aeneas237]

@@dahliafiend I agree it is good. I’m really glad Julian and Albert became clean and sober

[@midnightrider4066]

@@richardcartlidge2668 I reckon it was razor light that first started wearing skinny jeans ,then the industry got on it straight away and signed any band dressed like that, that was when oasis dropped down the list

[@theMoporter]

The UK press really has a problem conflating drug-fuelled self-destruction with artistic prowess. It fuels the addiction.

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

YES THANK YOU. This has bothered me forever. It's not just the press, though, it's a whole culture and it makes it attractive for many wrong reasons. It's also not limited to artistic prowess, but extends to rebellion, living outside of norms, originality, everything. While in truth, drug addictions are very sad, boring and limiting affairs - QED.

[@kaylabey]

yes and then tearing those artists down when they hit rock bottom.

[@tomwilko7841]

I begrudgingly agree...i also bought into the same myths, starting with the happy Mondays and rave music in 1989 and finishing with the libs, Amy and Babyshambles in 2005, I was only interested in drug inflected music, what started as an innocent weed and pills flirtation at 15 years old grew into a 30 year heroin and crack addiction...not for one minute blaming the music obviously but it genuinely took me 30 years to stop romanticizing the drug tortured artist...the sordid reality of addiction is truly the opposite of creativity

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

@@tomwilko7841 I'm so sorry. That's really tough, and these things don't help.

[@corneliousism]

@@Jamie-js3qw id say, as somebody who has struggled with addiction, the drug habits probably allowed these artists to open up parts of themselves they otherwise felt uncomfortable to express. Most likely because of a trauma or many micro traumas obtained earlier in life, and ongoing.

[@simonmorgan9965]

I've met Carl twice and he's an absolute gentleman, had a drink with him the second time and honestly was the most down to earth person I've ever met! Meet your heroes!

[@HelloShitty08]

I met him once, too. It was after a show with his Jackals, I told him how much of an influence he has been on me, and he just gave me a hug.

[@perseagratissima]

I also met him twice and he was so nice both times!

[@natashaavital8713]

I met him 4 times, 2 on his solo career and 2 after the Libs's return, and he was awesome in every one of them (the rest of the band was also awesome, and so was Peter and his band the Puta Madres when I met them) Most recent meeting with Carl was this Sunday, after Lolapallooza in São Paulo, at their hotel. Didn't manage to see Peter but the ppl who talked to him said he seemed very calm and happy. I talked to John for a litle bit, he then left to his room. Carl and Gary were outside for a long time talking to fans. I told Carl abt a bit of a misunderstanding that I thought kinda pissed him off the first time I met him, a molehill my anxiety has, over the years, made into a mountain of embarassment, and that he ovbiously doesn't even remember. He was very kind and made sure to tell me, that if I had any intrusive thoughts the next day, I should remember that he told me I've been nothing but wonderful that day Anyone who wants to be famous should learn from them, they're so humble and kind to their fans, Carl talked for whole 3 hours to a fan who went to meet them at the aiport. Idles (another amazing British band) was also there, and they were kinda fanboying over the Libertines, it was fun and heartwarming to watch

[@kildogery]

Fuck, I'm not a massive fan, I never knew the story of Carl's self abuse. Absolutely brutal. Rock and roll eh? Not even once. 😐

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

He described suffering from pretty severe depressions, even at the time - it's what the song Death on the Stairs was about. Add a whiskey and a cocaine diet. The way the fans kept on cheering on the excesses even after all that went down - it wasn't a secret - was slightly disturbing at times.

[@revol148]

@Paul Craig plenty of anecdotes of him headbutting ceramic washbasins (as told by Alan McGee in his autobiography)

[@mrkipling2201]

@@revol148 I’ve heard Alan McGee say that in interviews about Carl and the sink. Sounds like some pretty heavy stuff.

[@revol148]

@@mrkipling2201 I never really got this band - there were at best 4 songs worth bothering with - the rest of their band image seemed to be nothing about the lack-lustre music more concerning the on/off drugs issues with Doherty. Come to think they pretty much summed up the music scene in first decade of this century: underwhelming, style-over-substance all underwritten in an age where people realised that they could access music without paying a penny for it and to hell with the long term consequences of that.

[@mrkipling2201]

@@revol148 I liked the first album but I wasn’t one of their super fans or anything like that. Unfortunately the outside rubbish took over from the music quite early on.

[@AGrrrlsTwoSoundCents]

I love how you tied it back to Britpop and the Strokes. I remember Rob Sheffield saying something about the Strokes popularity in the UK. I can't remember the wording exactly but it was something to the effect of, "they're just taking their britpop records and selling them back to them." in other news, it's astounding to me that Pete Doherty is still alive

[@rks5457]

I guess. But shoegaze and then brit pop were basically an amalgamation of American influences. So it's weird to say the Strokes were derivative of britpop. Garage rock, indie rock, 60s psychedelia, punk etc. were all American genres and movements first and there was very much a strong underground presence in the US before the Strokes blew.

[@ixmay1023]

There’s an interview with Carl & Pete where they basically say their manager wasn’t interested until The Strokes became big in the UK

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

Barat also wrote that they changed it up, music-wise, because they watched the Strokes get big and, in their mind, occupy the place that they should have. So they kept the lyricism and ethos and just sped it all up.

[@Jamie-js3qw]

@@rks5457 punk was not an American derivative.

[@jackjude]

"shoegaze and then brit pop were basically an amalgamation of American influences," With shoegaze you're neglecting the UKs - pre MBV's Loveless - key _ethereal_ influences of The Cocteau Twins, The Cure's _Disintegration_ (and Pornography), the early post-rock of Talk Talk and the dream-pop and guitar interplay of bands like House of Love or the quintessential The Chameleons. Older group's tracks like The Beatles _Tomorrow Never Knows_ could be seen as part of a sonic linage too. Where among the the US influences are The Velvet Underground, Dinosaur Jnr, SY, Suicide etc. Although Psychedelic Rock bloomed on both sides of the Atlantic; UK pre-shoegaze bands like Spacemen 3, Loop, Jesus and Mary Chain, were perhaps more siding with state-side Psych. There's also the influence of German KR rock bands like _Popol Vuh_ perhaps in shoegaze's ambient qualities - as they had dome with Eno and Bowie. So that covers _some_ of Shoegaze's Noise, Psyche and _Ethereal-er-ism?_ . Like so many interesting band's music influences are shared from different cities, places, times and scenes. Garage rock was inspired by the the so-called _British Invasion_ , which in turn those bands had been inspired by US rock-n-roll. Yet paradoxically, I'm struggling to see a reasonable amount of US influences to justify the Britpop claim though. It might have improved much of it - but it was self-consciously parochial in many ways.

[@stravvman]

Bands with two big personalities are always breaking up horribly

[@harveyparsons7810]

Unless you’re the Rolling Stones

[@Vondreema]

@@harveyparsons7810 Then you're just going on hatefully

[@dondamon4669]

@@harveyparsons7810 Keith isn’t as big a personality as Mick at least he wasn’t till the 80s before that he was very quiet and just focused on the music and didn’t care that everyone treated it as Micks band. They even used to be called Mick and the Stones.

[@theverdicts5616]

the libertines have a happy ending really, they now own a hotel together in margate and make music seperately and together

[@adriatic.vineyards]

@@theverdicts5616 But their run was cut tragically short and they never made it as big as they would have. I'm glad they're doing alright now though.

[@teethgrinder83]

Listening to "can't stand me now" always strikes a chord with me because I was goings through much the same substance problems as Doherty at the same time and sadly turned people away from me who blamed it on the brown-both rightly and wrongly. It's also just a fucking amazing song of course lol

[@kateb2643]

They were a bit before my time, so I had no idea how instrumental they'd actually been in the revival. They'd always seemed kinda inconsequential to me. I have a whole new level of respect for them now. Thanks for the history lesson. Adore your work!

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

Franz Ferdinand (who debuted right between the first two Libertines records) came right on their heels spearheading the whole 'guitar music to dance to' thing calling back to the eighties, while the Libertines opened the door to a massive wave of messy punky and garage guitar bands. They were first.

[@Ostkupa]

I remember being amazed by how intensly they seemed to love and loathe eachother. I might misremember since it's been so long since I read "Kids in the riot" and kept up with the media around them, but I recall Pete having this very possessive quality, being jealous of Carl yes, but also being jealous of everyone coming close to him, like "I hate you and I don't want to be anywhere near you - BUT NOBODY ELSE CAN BE AS CLOSE TO YOU AS ME." It kinda blew my mind at the time because I'd never seen a friendship between two men being as intense as a (toxic!) romantic relationship. How did anyone survive that chaos, how did Gary and John manage standing on the sidelines? And those two albums man, they really hold up remarkably well.

[@Ostkupa]

Also, the memory of those pictures of Carl and Pete hugging in some bar after Pete got kicked out for the first (or possibly second) time. Strangely moving still.

[@ramseyhassan9941]

Pete and Carl were lovers

[@adriatic.vineyards]

@@ramseyhassan9941 were they actually?

[@ramseyhassan9941]

@@adriatic.vineyards Yes. They were libertines by name and by nature

[@Ostkupa]

​@@ramseyhassan9941 it's been a while since I looked into it, but back in the day I couldn't find any real "evidence" and they've denied it themselves, so it seemed rude to assume. But if you've got anything tangible I'd love to hear!

[@Fenrisaconite]

This is the one I've been waiting for!!! Edit: Admittedly, I'm a little disappointed that this is so fatalistic. You make it sound like there were mostly bad times between them, and as if deep down they just hated each other. No, the thing that makes The Libertines so tragic is that they loved each other so fucking much, it was like two eagles locked in a death roll. They were mutually obsessed with one another, and clicked with one another like no one else in their lives. They literally call each other "soulmates", but it wasn't enough to get past Peter's addictions, or Carl's serious mental health issues. They had a knack for taking misunderstandings and turning them into dire grievances. It's a real shame that they collapsed so violently, but I am really glad that they've reconciled to the point of starting a hotel together. Hopefully the 4th album won't be too far off, now that they're about to start touring again.

[@victorosorio5252]

aye, despite the fights, that band is overflowing with love like no other besides maybe manic street preachers

[@missm1548]

Same, the intense romance between them is the most fascinating part of that relationship.

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

You're right. Wasn't just a clash of ego's, but also all about love, dreams, and how to deal with a loved-one bent on self-destruction (which was both of them, not just Peter). The magic of their relationshipwas pretty vital to it all. Though I appreciate that this video is trying to cut through the enormous amount of romanticising the press did at the time - helped along by the fact that none of them had any filters - and look beyond the tragedy of it all at what was also a fierce competition between the two. It still amazes me that they seem to have figured it out.

[@dellafenton2417]

I've been to The Albion Rooms in Margate. It's an amazing place. They're touring later this year, I've got tickets for a London gig and I can't wait!!

[@danielarodriguez1967]

I remember being on my way to school, at around 6 a.m. and there was no sound outside. Then You're My Waterloo started playing o n the radio. It was such a deep and beautiful song I couldn't think of any other band that talked of love in a way that that song did. And that's what made me fall completely in love with them, the way they loved each other. I was hoping too that this video would talk more about that, unfortunately it didn't.

[@zakithibuthelezi255]

Just read Pete's book Likely Lad and this is really captures the essence of the band and his reflections in it, anyone who's watched this should read the book to truly understand where it all began, what a fascinating character he is, hugely talented, intelligent and a fantastic writer.Despite what most people think anyone that has worked with him holds him in the highest regard from a songwriting perspective and as an artist.

[@SmartStr33t]

You're right to set these guys in context of early-noughties blandness. David Gray, Toploader, Travis, Daniel Bedingfield, wow things were so bleak. Into this scene the Libertines came like a tiger in a petting zoo. They felt so real, so raw, like it was going to be our own 1960's, our own the Kinks. Even Britpop in the 90s was mostly bland.

[@morebasheder]

"Like an indie rock version of go your own way" - absolutely spot on 👍🏽😂 another excellent video dude

[@liamjack4996]

Love this documentary, and it's mad the lads have managed to come together again after all this choas, and it looks like we've got the 4th album on the way. Their self-titled second album is one of the records of my teenage years. I would listen to it on repeat on a CD Walkman when cycling to sixth form. Campaign of Hate and What Katie Did are two of my all time favourite songs.

[@kildogery]

I didn't even realise I'd been waiting for this till it appeared in my notifications. I was just thinking about them last night. One of the best on the Tubes.

[@duelmastersquad3022]

I feel so pleased that I could watch this, great documentary. I've been a fan of The Libertines for more than 10 years. As you said, "can't stand me now" is their anthem, I think it surely is. It is a kind of song that guide you trough rough break up, difficulties with your partner. However, the most important is connection with the lyrics. Therefore, praise your youth, because sooner or later you'll be reminescence those days with NOSTALGIA.

[@revuproar5636]

I met Carl and Alan on a trip they made to Mexico for an impromptu gig. We were really young sleeping outside of the venue and when they showed up they couldn't be any cooler, funnier or kind, they even gave us money for a proper hotel room (we spent the last dime getting into the city). When asked about Pete both were complimentary and a little bit sad about the situation, total class acts.

[@dansimpson9214]

Thank you, Thank you so much for this!! My favourite band hands down. I fell in love with them when I got that copy of NME. And that stayed with me through all the ups and downs. As for other bands from that era I would say The Rakes and Futureheads was my other favourites from back then. X

[@adamgardiner5869]

My friend your content is so good that whenever I think of a doco about a band, album or song that I love...I always hear it in your distinctive voiceover. Love your channel mate.

[@TheRealSpookee]

I genuinely believe the libertines could have been as big as the Arctic Monkeys or The Strokes if they just kept on pumping out music and were a functional band. Although Indie Rock N Roll Legend is still a nice title.

[@wolfsbane1991]

I'll admit I didn't know of this band (indie isn't my scene), but I watched the video anyway and was enthralled as usual. Fantastic work. Harrowing story, too.. Keep it up, love your videos.

[@juliaa365]

thank you for all of these fascinating videos. i’ve always wanted to find out about these bands and i’m glad you go into such depth. keep going!!!

[@AverageToBad]

Heard and licensed to these main songs so many times but now I know ideally never knew the meanings of the lyrics or even understood them at all. For the UK too. Keep the amazing content coming!

[@austins.2495]

This was very well written and edited. Awesome content, thank you

[@MakeMakeShift]

This channel is ace. In life we don’t always really know what’s going on at a specific time until we’ve lived it. The Libertines days were so heady for me. I met Karl and their manager on separate occasions, on different insane Camden nights. Nights that really did feel magical. Looking back I was obviously just wasted haha. But still, they meant something. Thanks for telling this tale.

[@angelw5570]

I make a podcast with a couple of friends about our favorite albums. Somehow, this channel always seems to have its own video covering the same band. I sometimes use these videos to fill in gaps in my research just before we record, and have shouted the channel out in an episode. Thank you so much for your informative and entertaining videos!

[@kittenhoodie]

What's your podcast?

[@angelw5570]

@@kittenhoodie It's called Pizza Spins! :)

[@fraser_byrne]

Appreciate the effort and thought that went into making this. Well done.

[@kingxhaki_91]

Great video as always. I would love to see a video on Bloc Party as to why two of their original members left after their fourth album.

[@edcardwell8899]

Was more of an emo kid when all this was going on but was always fascinated with them. Another quality video

[@elliotbevan7641]

Your videos are brilliant! Always loved the libertines and you did this video perfectly. Every video you put out turns me on to good music, Depeche mode, placebo etc. Keep up the good work 👍🏾

[@sirin9850]

Carl once sang a solo acoustic version of Can't Stand Me Now where he sings "I cut you out and blamed it on the brown"

[@lydiachebbine6326]

just almost cried at this comment

[@sirin9850]

My favourite band of all time. Peter Doherty is an underrated genius, his solo stuff is amazing

[@karmakollapse]

Wasn't a big Libertines fan, but it was a great trail of bands in their wake... Bloc Party, Futureheads, Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand, the Rakes... great wave of indie rock.

[@brandonseger5812]

Brilliant episode. Thanks. Neds Atomic Dustbin and Mega City Four were both on the Finsbury In The Park show that I attended and they both blew the stage apart. Best show of that genre I got to see.

[@thekillers1stfan]

Fun fact about Kilamangiro is that it was going to be a Libs song. There's early versions of it with Pete and Carl playing together. The Libs version is also much lighter and seemingly making light of the situation while the Babyshambles version ends up legitimately bitter. also I kinda wished you talked about Anthems for Doomed Youth. It is a fantastic album. Definitely one of the best of the decade.

[@vlino87]

I loved them back in the day. I knew they had a messed up relationship for some reason but it was good to finally know the actual context. You should do one about The Sound and Adrian Borland!

[@dannyedwards142]

It amazing how easy it is to forget “Babycakes” and remember it instantly on re-hearing it.

[@TimmyTickle]

Didn’t Libertines fans send death threats to 3 Of A Kind for robbing them of a #1 single?

[@Venomous9]

You just don't know, no.

[@dannyedwards142]

@@TimmyTickle that sucks, I was 10 I don’t really remember.

[@wilsonchoqueroque5858]

the libertines second album is like a son between the clash and the beatles. Masterpiece.

[@Bonobo1974]

Saw them live 2 weeks ago, up the bracket 20year anniversary tour, small club, they still got it, amazing

[@gcarraig]

One curious side effect of being stateside and a huge fan of Trash Theory? Am now mining Spotify for Libertines, as I’d been barely exposed to em. Sadly.

[@WillieMcDuffle]

Babyshambles

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

I'm sure State side had some fantastic band that never made it elsewhere that we in the UK ought to be exploring but never got the chance. We showed you one of ours, point us to one you recommend we look into.

[@Goblue1121]

@@jon-paulfilkins7820 Marvelous 3. Super underrated band. Check out "Hey, album!"

[@evanphillips570]

Don’t be sad you didn’t discover them sooner, be happy you’ve found them

[@horchatadrinker14]

A new fan is still a fan. I highly recommend Babyshambles and Pete's solo stuff (even some of Dirty Pretty Things and Carlos solo stuff is worthwhile if you dig deep). Welcome aboard the good ship Albion :)

[@paulmuller4308]

The Libertines made my life better somehow... I will always adore the lads ♥

[@vandolmatzis8146]

Your commentary brought tears to me eyes.Well done.

[@kjdgroove]

so excited to see this video come up in my subscription feed, the libertines have been an intense fixation of mine for the past few years.

[@gabrielacallaghan-gaitan3963]

they do have a third album too, released 2015. really worth a listen especially "You're my Waterloo", which many say is another song about their friendship

[@TrulyMadlyShallowly]

There's an earlier version of that that is worth looking up if you don't know it. Less production, more honesty.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

The 2nd record was a scorcher of an album. Music When the Lights Go Out makes me weep.

[@ThomasWilliamson]

Great video. Never really appreciated The Libertines back in the day but now I appreciate their clever lyrics and how they played a big part in a new generation of music in Britain.

[@goblininreallife]

I been WAITING for this one! Turn it up!

[@AM19925]

what a great story, didn't really know anything about them before this

[@LHoriginal]

I love the libertines, they're brilliant! Petes guitar technician fixed my guitar last week too!

[@yorkshirejord7211]

First time seeing one of your videos. Really enjoyed that, thank you mate 👍

[@nachovichoZX]

I was waiting this for years!!! My favorite band of all time

[@Scrowlock12]

Please do a video on Leftfield or Underworld!!!

[@RandomEye1131]

This band is damn near everything I love, how have I never heard of them? Excellent vid.

[@Robbo766]

because they're shit

[@threefiveohonetwofive]

An another incredible video, absolutely love the content you make x

[@kodi3881]

That was amazing! Truly fantastic work, as a very committed fan I really appreciate it! Would you do something like that about The Cribs? It’s such an underrated and talented band. Thanks again!

[@NewGoldStandard]

I only caught the tail end of The Libertines but I've watched Arctic go from fishnets to nightdress.

[@iliketrains3495]

Hahaha

[@postpunkprincess]

YESYESYES I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

[@vipslol]

This brought me back to my highschool years. Great video Mate!

[@RobBerks]

This was great - really enjoyed it! Your videos are always brilliant - thanks a lot

[@richteffekt]

Excellent video, thanks for the effort you put into this. Maxïmo Park (at least their debut record) for me.

[@1invag]

Graffiti? That rings a bell lol been a while

[@slushpuppie19]

Oh man Maximo Park had two of the best singles from the entire era

[@deannilvalli6579]

I really like the narrator's style. Good voice, clearly spoken, and done with feeling. And of course, as usual, the content is great- a good summary of the Libertines, with great visuals.

[@samuelwoods164]

I became aware of them at the strokes show in Leeds in 2002, really got into them after that.

[@musicallystoned7489]

Been waiting for this since the Battle of Britpop video. Libs were the best since the end of that era. Thanks!

[@mariagluschenko3860]

Fantastic video, but I think Anthems For Doomed Youth deserved at least a mention. Couldn't have imagined a more emotional and profound reunion album if I tried

[@michaelwilliams2231]

The Libertines had the potential to be one of if not the best band of the era, such an underrated band its a shame.

[@aspiringtentacle]

High quality analysis, well done. I'd never realized the ending of Can't Stand Me Now is also the intro, quite a nice touch. It's so strange to me that they'd hire Alan McGee, isn't he the man who failed to keep Oasis together?

[@thisisAndreMattos]

I was looking for a Libertines video in this channel yesterday, and hadn't. But Today, what a surprise.

[@lukehauser1182]

I was lucky to run into their first album (Up the Bracket) around 2004 and thought they were the best rock band of their time. In retrospect, the last great rock band. Unique take on dual guitars. Gary is a powerhouse drummer. Mick Jones was a perfect fit as producer. They recorded so little that even their demos and alternate takes are interesting.

[@stevewalsh3001]

Best British band of the 00's? I'm inclined to just say the Libertines. Their lyrics are pure poetry.

[@Talisman09]

Ew, you could not sound like more of a poser. Fuck lyrics. Their music is good without the lyrics though, so I still like them even if you also do 😁

[@stevewalsh3001]

Was it Cromwell or Orwell who first led you to the Stairwell Which leads only forever to Kingdom Come... I may be a poser, but I can't find a band like that.

[@lennon1482]

I'd say the coral

[@thaddeuspope4999]

For me, it's the Libertines and Kasabian.

[@sevenknucklekid]

Probably not as million dead existed so did Oceansize

[@jackpompeyboy5799]

One of your best videos yet keep it up

[@DeadPool-qj9np]

This was the New British Canon I was waiting for. Thanks for sending it out into the ether.

[@curtiswatson4192]

without doubt the greatest british band of all time, and most underrated by far

[@Talisman09]

Damn, I was gonna doubt it but I can't now because you said without a doubt

[@curtiswatson4192]

good, that's why i said that part, now you will think twice when you consider doubting young friend

[@Jamie-js3qw]

@@curtiswatson4192 i'm just offended you can have such an opinion. It is far more dubious than indubitable, and you are far more Watson than Sherlock in the investigation into Britain's greatest bands of all time. But I opine merely, my opinion is subjective and hence subject to doubt.

[@curtiswatson4192]

ah, well my opinion is not

[@rorz999]

Lol not even close

[@adammorassutti3244]

The Libertines are one my favourite bands ever so glad to see this! :)

[@hyruled3g]

Great video although it’s a bit late i wish you would’ve mentioned dirty pretty things along with babyshambles at the end, they rock