Dirty Pretty Things

As Pete Doherty's drug troubles sent indie heroes The Libertines into chaos and controversy, bandmate Carl Barat rose from the rubble with drummer Gary Powell, Doherty's replacement Anthony Rossomando and former Cooper Temple Clause bassist Didz Hammond to form Dirty Pretty Things. Charged up on classic British rock'n'roll, the band pursued a similar sound to their predecessors, slashing out spiky, high octane, sing-along, indie rock. Debut single Bang Bang, You're Dead vented Barat's anger at Doherty, before album Waterloo to Anywhere (2006) shot to Number 3 in the UK album charts fuelled on Britpop spirit, raucous pop melodies and wistful lyrics. The band played with Muse at their Wembley Stadium gigs and supported the Love Music Hate Racism campaign. But when second album Romance at Short Notice (2008) failed to make an impact, the band split with a farewell show at London's Astoria. Barat has since released solo albums, reformed The Libertines to play at the 2010 Reading/Leeds festivals and taken acting roles in the film Telstar and the play Fool For Love.