Whatever the future holds for The Libertines, it became less relevant with the release of this album. Pete Doherty seems bent on self-destruction, and even when he?s not shooting up, still remains uncommitted to Babyshambles. That?s a shame, as when he?s good, he can be wonderful. His long term chum, and even more long-suffering playing-mate, Carl Barat has said that he still imagines working with Doherty again and maybe that will come to pass. But until then, Barat has other fish to fry. Essentially that is Dirty Pretty Things, which from this first taste, has huge cod-fish and chips potential.

The brilliant, manic, frantic start that is ?Deadwood? sets the pace for the whole album. It?s what made The Libs great. Massive energy, fun, and don?t give a f**k attitude. Which is notably expletive too, as there are enough X-rated words plastered through this album to give your nan a heart attack. It is seriously parental advisory material, so be warned.

?Doctors and Dealers? keeps the lick, but adds a few more rabid chords, plus more melodic twisting. There?s so much about ?Bang Bang You?re Dead? that makes it such a tip-top single. The trumpet intro, the monster pogo quality, an edgy beat, and a tune that won?t go away. If it was on the Arctic Monkeys album then it would have been even bigger. It?s still huge in its own right though. ?Gin and Milk? has that same take on modern life too ? along with a plethora of monster riffs that will make it a huge live fave.

Barat doesn?t have the same faulted wretchedness in his vocals that Doherty does, which arguably makes him a better singer, even though he lacks the same appeal and intensity of a tortured soul. This is not without fervour or attitude though. Like the pathos dipped ?Blood Thirsty Bastards?. Tales of ?sycophants and vampires? being packed off to hell, which is also packed with venom. The old Clash / SKA legacy peeps through occasionally, such as the splendidly tweaked ?Gentry Cove?. For pure rush, ?You F**king Love It? is huge. A hyper wallop of pumped up adrenalin that expires in under two minutes. Any more would be screaming overdose and waving the white flag.

?Enemy? is less inspired, but equally impassioned. ?If You Love A Woman? lacks stand-out-appeal, and that is one possible failing of the album. The sameness running through which makes it easy to overlook individual tracks. They are there, yet how much you?ll be coming back to this album in six months time is debatable. It?s fantastic for a big blast now, but time will tell how much the longevity sticks. It is the raw, live sound that is the sound of England at the moment, which curiously, is not that different to the punky band heyday of the late 70?s. But hey, most things go full circle anyway.

Even though the plucky solo guitar work on ?Wondering? is competent, it?s only just there. The rest of the track has a lot more depth. ?Last Of the Small Town Playboys? is better accomplished on the six-string, and hints at more promise to come. It?s hard to imagine The Libertines bettering themselves even if they did re-group. More consistency perhaps, less exuberance maybe. But here Barat is not only showing that he can go it alone, but also that there?s some ideas left in the melting pot for next time.

As long as Barat and Docherty still breathe in and out (and that?s a piece of string of dubious length for the latter) then maybe The Libertines will be back. As a partnership of punk, their brilliance was almost blinding ? however fleeting those moments were. But don?t consider this an inferior substitute, as it?s more like an offshoot growth area. Yes there are the roots of The Libs past, but there?s a lot of fine new foliage here too. But Barat has met - and vanquished - his Waterloo. What?s more, this Napoleon comes from Basingstoke.

Neil Chase
Music Editor