Dirty Pretty Things - Junction, Cambridge - 07/05/2006

Carl could have done no wrong with regards to the break up of The Libertines: he seeked closure and maintained professionalism. Many have blamed him for the sorry state that Pete has got himself into, but we have to understand that this sorry state was self induced, and his need for publicity to sell a dishevelled album has left, not only him, but his career for dead.

Taking to the stage to outstretch arms and dreams of the past, Dirty Pretty Things take off with the strict militant sound of ‘Deadwood’. The sound is post ‘Up The Brackets’: every bit as energetic as his initial joint venture but now with a mature sense of knowing and revelation. Lyrically poetic guises to manifest his side of the story behind the break-up set behind a well orchestrated 70s punk sound; quintessentially English and idealised, it appeals to both for the purest and fashionable.

The songs themselves are revealing and brutal: ‘Doctors and Dealer’, ‘Bang Bang You’re Dead’, and ‘The Enemy’ lay Carl’s side of the story from heart to harmony, transpiring Pete’s myopic view of his habitual problems and insularity to redirecting the finger of blame.

‘I Get Along’ and ‘Death On The Stairs’ resurrect broken hearts of what could have been and ghosts in cupboards, but from this voyage on the New Albion, it is evident that times have changed and new ships are to set sail; Dirty Pretty Things look the part and their voyage appears to have longevity and direction.