The Libertines
Don’t Look Back Into the Sun
(Rough Trade)

The Libertines have been disparaged a lot in the press for being yet another garage rock band trying to be the Strokes. Listening to this single I think I think this is most unfair because the Libertines are more than just another Strokes, there’s a lot more to them and a myriad of influences shine through on all six songs (across two CDs). Don’t Look Back Into the Sun sounds is catchy with its indie and Britpop influences.

The first of the b-sides on CD 1, Death on the Stairs is a re-recording and at first sounds like an Oasis tune and whilst it does have qualities of the Strokes’ Last Night it also fits in a Pulp influence. Tell the King sounds like a lot of Scouse bands (the Coral being one of them). CD 2 is an entirely different proposition from CD 1 Skint and Minted seems to have been hidden away for the past 40 odd years until now and the Libertines have hijacked it for their own. The one duff track is Mockingbird which is just like a mick take of Deep South camp fire blues and I’m still not sure whether they’re serious or not. Still, this is really fun as singles go.