Waterloo To Anywhere

Pete Doherty may get all the attention, but he didn't get all the talent when The Libertines split. That much is obvious from this debut disc by his ex-bandmates

While Doherty implodes in a Babyshambles of drug busts and tabloid tales, guitarist Carl Barat, drummer Gary Powell, guitarist Anthony Rossomando (Pete's Libertines replacement) and new bassist Didz Hammond have risen Phoenix-like with the gobsmackingly great Waterloo to Anywhere, a disc that makes you wish they'd dumped Doherty's sorry ass ages earlier.

Sounding exactly like what they are -- a leaner, meaner, tighter and cleaner version of The Libertines -- the band hits the ground running and never looks back, thrashing, crashing and bashing pell-mell through 11 mod-punk firecrackers that pay homage to the choppy guitars and working-class passion of The Jam, The Clash and the early Kinks.

Factor in plenty of pointed lyrics like, "Now I know that you were the coward" and "What will you do when they forget your name?" and it's clear Dirty Pretty Things have a score to settle -- and the means to do it.

If Doherty knows what's good for him, he'd better get it together -- and fast.

4/5

By Darryl Sterdan
Source:JAM! Music