The Libertines are a new group of snotty young punks that throw out riffs that made The Jam tick, and vocals that would make The Clash proud. Fittingly, Up the Bracket was produced by Clash lead guitarist Mick Jones, and his influence on this album is definitely audible. You can almost hear the members falling over themselves and them picking themselves up again when playing this hard and this fast. I'm sure Jones was in the back screaming "Louder and faster this time you wanks!"

"Death on the Stairs" gets a good laugh when they scream "Please Kill Me" then quickly reconsider with "oh please don't kill me." "Horrorshow" sounds like they recorded the vocals completely wasted, and to be honest it probably made the song better. The best tracks "Boys in the Band" and "What a Waster" prove that the best British bands don't try to hide their accents, they emphasize them, with a sneer of pure fiendish glee. The Libertines are definitely one of the new best bands of the year.