The Libertines - What Became Of The Likely Lads (Rough Trade)
UK release date: 18 October 2004
So the rock band cum soap opera rumbles on, with no reconciliation between the main players in sight. As Carl Barat continues to promote the band's excellent second album, his erstwhile friend Pete Doherty carries on providing tabloid fodder and showing occasional glimpses of his genius with Babyshambles.
What Became Of The Likely Lads is almost heartbreaking in its poignancy - the two vocalists swapping lyrics in a desperate plea for everything to be all right. "Please don't get me wrong, I'll forgive you in a song, we'll call the Likely Lads" runs the lyric, over a juddering, stop-start melody, which is probably the band's best to date.
It's almost voyeuristic to listen to, but it's also completely compelling. If this really is the last we'll see of The Libertines then it's a damn shame - "what became of the likely lads? What became of the dreams they had?" as the chorus puts it. What indeed?
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