ALBUM: The Libertines 'Anthems For Doomed Youth'

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Believe it or not it’s been a stammering 11 years since The Libertines made an album. That’s an entire decade – and then some – since the divisive London scallywags released The Libertines. What’s perhaps harder to believe (granted, of course, you haven’t been sat waiting for 11 years like many of us) is that it’s only their third album. Yet with only two albums under their belt – in part due to their rather shambolic history, but mainly due to their unquestionable influence and sheer talent – The Libertines have always been there. Whether you love them or hate them, they’re never going to fade from the forefront of indie music, and Anthems For Doomed Youth only confirms them as more than worth of that spot.

It would be silly, of course, to pretend that the album has no faults whatsoever. It’s at points almost too theatrical, losing the rough edges of that arguably make The Libertines who they are. Rather, certain tracks – ‘Fame and Fortune’ for example – have an air of one of the songs Fagin’s boys would sing in Oliver Twist: scallywags, yes, but in a West End musical way. It is, however, for the most part undeniably true to their original sound. And to criticise the theatrical nature is perhaps unfair in itself. What comes with the theatrical sound is a sense of unison – the big choruses and Doherty and Barât’s unified vocals in the likes of ‘Barbarians’ and ‘Gunga Din’ truly cement their reunification.

Despite the time in Thailand spent recording, Anthems For Doomed Youth doesn’t once waver from their deep-rooted love of London. The same old, much loved, references to Camden and the likes litter the album in a way that would be wrong if not. The Libertines are back and they’re waving the flag as proudly as ever.

The (almost) title track ‘Anthem For Doomed Youth’ – sounding a little like ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’ – reminds us, if we even needed it, of the incredible songwriting pairing that is Doherty and Barât. With lines like “we’re going nowhere / but nowhere’s on our way” and “we tried war once before / but it was the king’s head on the floor / and we got booted out the boozer / ‘cause someone smashed a glass”, they continue – with the beautiful simplicity they always had – to elicit everything from laughter to tears.

Whilst the previously released tracks from the album are no doubt well ingrained in the minds of Libertines fans already, one track in particular will be far from new to them. ‘You’re My Waterloo’ – first recorded by the band during their Odessa studio recordings – is one of those that brings out the rather glummer emotions. With the lyrics alone, and the songs apparent acting as a tribute to Barât from Doherty, ‘You’re My Waterloo’ is a welcome, tear-jerking, old addition to the new album. And proof that they’ve stayed true to their old sound; the track slides in among the new songs absolutely seamlessly.

Anthems For Doomed Youth can only be described as old Libertines with a fresh twist. ‘Glasgow Coma Scale Blues’ harks back to ‘Death on the Stairs’, for example, but at no point do these songs sound like lazy attempts at remaking old songs. With tracks like ‘The Milkmans Horse’, which sound almost miles away from anything else The Libertines have released, The Libertines have achieved the rather difficult task of staying true but not staying the same. As if anyone thought they couldn’t do it…

Anthems For Doomed Youth is released on 4th September.