Why I Love The Libertines

Last night The Libertines returned to perform their first reunion show in front of fans who had won tickets through a ballot. I had one of these tickets, but unfortunately work commitments prevented me from watching one of my favourite bands in action. This weekend though, thousands will watch as the four men who formed The Libertines: Carl Barat, Pete Doherty, John Hassall and Gary Powell, return to play the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festival.

Now, I don’t expect everyone to agree, but The Libertines were without doubt one of the best bands of the last 10 years. However, unlike NME, who recently proclaimed that: 'the story of The Libertines is the greatest of a generation of British music fans.' It was not the stories about The Libertines that endeared them to me, but the music. Along with The Strokes, The Libertines defined a genre of music for the years that followed. They were The Clash for a new generation.

What I'm Listening to at the moment...

The charts are a bit uneventful at the moment… other than the intriguing and infuriatingly catchy, ‘We No Speak Americano’. New Albums have also dried up a bit since Arcade Fire and Eminem released their new efforts.

However, hopefully Klaxons’ new album, Surfing The Void, will reinvigorate things again. Furthermore, due to my significant lack of funds, I am not going to Reading, even though two of my favourite bands are playing (that is Arcade Fire and The Libertines by the way). So, I thought I would give you a peak at my IPod, to see what I’m listening to at the moment.

Eminem, ’25 To Life’ (from Recovery): Eminem is back to his formidable best, and ’25 To Life’ captures this better than any other song on Recovery. The song is about Em’s tempestuous relationship with rap music: “When you spoke to people who meant the most to you/You left me off your list/Fuck you hip-hop/I’m leaving you, my life sentence is served bitch.” For Eminem, rap has simultaneously brought him out of poverty, whilst also leading him down a road of self-destruction. With a great chorus, killer rap and a brilliant beat over an acoustic guitar, this song really has everything that makes Mr. Mathers a genius.