MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Album reviews: November 22, 2022
IAN SINCLAIR reviews releases from The Libertines, Bruce Springsteen and Garrett Saracho
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
The Libertines
Up The Bracket
(Rough Trade)
★★★★
TWENTY years ago the debut album from The Libertines lit a rocket under British indie guitar music.
This reissue — including a recording of a 100 Club gig, a slew of studio outtakes and demos and a booklet — is a welcome reminder of those heady days before co-frontman Pete Doherty become tabloid fodder.
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