Dirrrty

At this point in his career, pretty much anyone and their mother know about Pete Doherty and his drug problem. What may or may not be as apparent is that Pete was an accomplished musician before he was a disaster, and his talent was most apparent when he was playing with Carl Barat, the other singer/songwriter from British sensation The Libertines.

The Libertines put out two albums, the critically acclaimed Up the Bracket and their sophomore success self titled LP. Unfortunately, two albums was all they could get through before Pete's antics became unbearable and the band split. Pete went on to front the post-punk discombobulated band, Babyshambles, and Carl went on with other original members of the Libs to create Dirty Pretty Things.

After a couple of years underground, DPT have finally released their debut album, Waterloo to Anywhere, and it was worth the wait. The album is a compilation of just over 30 minutes of songs that are totally likeable - they've got dueling guitars, lyrics steeped in heavy rocker experience and British accents, and a beat that keeps you attune for each 3 minute song. Where Barat might lack in Doherty's musical unpredictability, emotion and sometimes genius he makes up in hard earned talent and well written songs.

From the opener, Deadwood, Barat keeps listeners interest. Highlights include "Bang Bang You're Dead" (who we all might guess is aimed towards none other than Doherty), "Gin and Milk", "Blood Thirsty Bastard" and "Last of the Small Town Playboys."

Barat's clearly had influence in a slew of bands over the past few years (most notably the Arctic Monkeys) and I hope he can take DPT to the next level of success.

DPT is currently touring in the US - they have two sold out shows at the Bowery Ballroom this week in NYC.

http://www.dirtyprettythingsband.com/index.php/gigs/