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This is the first in a new series of articles on Goldenplec were we look at what albums we feel influenced the music of the last decade.
2002 was a strange year for music. 90’s Brit rock was truly dead, Indie rock bands which had been prominent at the start of the 00’s such as The Stereophonics, Travis and Manic Street Preachers, had faded and the charts were full of international rock acts like the Foo Fighters, Greenday and Blink 182. This all changed with the resurgence of British indie rock, led by The Libertines, the NME and the Pete Doherty media circus.
The media coverage of The Libertines really raised the profile of british Indie rock and really opened to door to so many acts which would simply not have made it big without british indie rocks new found popularity, The turning point for which was the release of ‘Up the Bracket’.
Up The Bracket was released on 21st October 2002, entering the chart at #35. The Mick Jones produced album was highly anticipated as the band had receive a huge push from NME in the months previous. NME’s coverage of the band and their antics would become a constant over the next few years. At this stage the band had become infamous for their guerrilla gigs, drug use and the disfunctional relationship between frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barat.
The media coverage of the band, and in particular Pete and Carl, saw a resurgence of new British rock in the charts and the bands that benefited include Razorlight, Franz Ferdinand and The Kaiser Chiefs, all of who reached festival headlining status. Of course many other indie/rock bands also were able to reach audiences that even a year before they would not, such as Mumm-Ra, The Kooks and Maximo Park. The Libertines DIY style of garage punk rock also saw many similar acts enter the charts, such as The Subways, The View and later, The Arctic Monkeys.
Finally The Libertines single handedly boosted the popularity of NME at the start of the decade, and from that popularity the NME became a magazine that could make bands, dictate styles and trends, and for right or wrong, become a bible to some of whats ‘In’, a position they are still enjoying today.
The album itself took a second seat at the time due to the problems the band was going through from Pete Doherty’s drug use, but still stands up as one of the best albums of the decade. The Libertines indie/punk sound that is equal parts Morrissey and The Clash produces some wonderful songs that you feel are half made up on the spot, wandering through loose guitar licks and thatcher-era esque lyrics. If you don’t have this album, I’d highly recommend ignoring the hype and giving it a listen.
Words By Kev Meagher