The Libertines Bound Together: The Definitive Story of Peter Doherty and Carl Barat and How They Changed British Music

by Anthony Thornton, Roger Sargent

In the short time they existed, the indie rock band The Libertines kick-started a music Renaissance. Their grungy rock sound and such stunts as giving away albums for free erased the barrier with fans and inspired thousands. Yet for all their musical acumen, the band made the most headlines for their apparent “live fast, die young” lifestyle and for lead man Pete Doherty’s drug addictions and ongoing relationship with fashion model Kate Moss. This insightful new look at The Libertines goes behind the headlines to document the band’s true history, tracing its extraordinary highs and lows through the breakup and fallout between Doherty and the rest of the group. Lushly illustrated with rare photos, this is the authentic story of the band that defined a generation.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Anthony Thornton was the Reviews Editor for NME magazine from 2002-2006. He has written for NME, The Independent, Q Magazine, The Idler and The Times.


Official site: The Libertines Bound Together

Biography: Biography

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing photos. well researched - just could have done with a stricter edit. best book on the Libs.
what i learnt from this book - ? what a pair of wasters they are - but I love 'em anyway.

[Bárbara Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting account of The Libertines' short and intense trajectory up to that point - I'd very much like to see a complete up-to-date version of it, although it'd probably be impossible to track in the same meticulous fashion, as they've become far less accessible - I mean, compared to the days in which more than half of their gigs were in pubs, Carl and Pete's own apartment(s), or just really small venues - with the passing of time.

I've been a moderate fan for a few years and knew bits and pieces of their story, but I had a very diffuse notion of its chronology. I didn't even know the touching context of the cover (of both the book and their self-titled record) picture. The author is quite clearly a huge fan - one who was quite close to the band, in fact - but I'm vehemently opposed to the notion that such emotional proximity turns you into a blind follower, a bad critic, that sort of thing. Anthony Thornton shows a great deal of compassion for The Libertines, yes, but I hardly find it a fault: if anything, it's a virtue, considering the image most people still have of them.

It's truly curious how little credit they got/get for changing the music scene - if you think the author is exaggerating, you're wrong. I got into Arctic Monkeys before I got into The Libertines and AM basically got all the credit for using the internet for self-promotion, when in fact 1) their fans were responsible for all things relative to the web 2) The Libs did it first, and much more viscerally. Hell, they announced gigs through their own forum. Leaked loads of material. Wrote far too personal letters and such. Again, I knew bits and pieces of their story, but their involvement with the internet - and their fanbase, obviously, particularly in Peter's case - was truly off-the-charts and is barely mentioned, well, anywhere, save for the actual fandom.

Based not only on this book but the band's recent experiences in their Latin American tour, the huge amounts of sheer love and devotion they inspire no matter the circunstances will never cease to amaze me. I guess it's hard not to be enamoured by their idealistic, Romantic (capital R Romance) nature, not to mention how kind and humble they remain towards their fans. I could go on and on about their talent and how their lack of general recognition boils down to our society's hypocritical view of drugs, but I'm too lazy. I'll always cherish The Libertines' artistic vision and dedication to it.

[Thomas Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of the Libertines told through a mixture of words and brilliant photographs. For such an infamous band, the story of their band is a relatively standard tale of two boys who love making music and having a laugh together, whose immense talents catapult them to stardom. What makes this story more interesting than your standard pop group is that Carl and Peter have such a strong love for one another that the Libertines story reads more like a romantic tragedy than a rock biography. Their strong connection is explored deeply in this book, and makes for very interesting reading as the ups and downs of their on-again-off-again relationship are recounted. Inevitably, as another music icon once said, their love would tear them apart, but not before they'd shown the world their genius.

[Oliver D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and balanced, I'm glad I picked it up!

[Anaïs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for every Libertines fan. I love it to bits!

[Matthew Mclister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read if you were a fan of Indie rock in the 2000s or, indeed, are just a fan of Rock music. Covers the rise of The Libertines and the close friendship/bond between Pete Doherty and Carl Barat. Detailed history in their step by step journey from meeting to becoming the most iconic band of their time. Covers the highs and lows, the fall outs and the drama as Pete turned to drugs and the band slowly disintegrated as a result of his actions (such as robbing Carl’s flat) and his refusal to stick with rehab.

Was published in 2006 and an update would be a fantastic read covering their reunion and then their 3rd album (which wasn’t the greatest in all honesty, but adds to the story).

Did enjoy the heavy number of picture accompanying the stories, helping provide further context to many iconic moments in the bands short career.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Libertines - to a large extent - saved British Music out of the dulldrums of being beaten down by the Limp Bizkit, Papa roach, Linkin Park school of American Nu-Metal.

The book tells a very honest tale of the friendships which made & destroyed the band.

Even for the fans who lived this, a must read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many new bands that are about now would not be around if it were not for the Libertines. The photos are incredible. I feel I know them a little better now and despite their failings (and maybe slightly because of them) I still love them and the music they made.

[Leigh Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A band that saved us from papa roach, limp biskit and travis but why oh why not from the f&@?ing beige and boring whining and snoring unfathomably popular Coldplay? Now I have that off my chest -great band, great book

[Kleinerkiwi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on the libertines with a lot of photos of the time. It perfectly tells the turbulent story of the band with a lot of private detail. You truly get the feeling across that Sargent is one of their closest friends that has been with them from the early beginnings.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think what’s really great about this is that the libertines story really needs the utmost care taken with it to tell it in a way that does it justice - Pete and Carl / their relationship is just super complex, the constant dismissal of so many elements in ur typical retelling of it fails them completely. - and obviously this book just CARES so much, on what feels like such a realistic but human level. I also thought it was very easy to follow and super engaging! Certainly the go to book to comprehensively track the libs trajectory and their impact. The pictures are also just amazing! So cool to see not only the trajectory through written pieces but also through pictures! As someone who is relatively new to being a libs fan I also learnt a lot of details/a lot of things got cleared up that I was either unsure about or didn’t really know! I love the libertines so much and definitely think they’re one of the most important and interesting bands of my lifetime (thus far). If there’s a place to start with this band it’s Definitely here!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so so much. This book paints a perfect picture of their friendship, heartbreak and transparency from the beginning. They paved the way for 2000s British indie rock and shared so much with their fans from the very beginning. I saw the their reunion show in Brisbane in April 2025 and you could see and feel the love between Carl and Pete despite their colourful history. It was the greatest show I’ve seen and an accurate reflection of the picture this book paints. I would love to see an extended version of the book to include their reunion and last 15 years. My how time flies!!

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written and interesting. Author clearly cares about the band a lot

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the other Libs book I read. Anthony Thornton, NME scribe, knows what he's talking about and gives a clear, (mostly) unbiased opinion of events and people. The photographs are stunning, beautiful, sad, and funny, just like the story itself.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the libertines you'll love this book. Although it did make me like Carl Barat a log more than I did before. And it made me like Pete a lot less. But quality bio of their rise and fall.

[Andy Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good biography of a band ripped apart by addiction and silence. You wonder if they had stayed together whether they would have conquered all before them but as the quote goes "It's better to burn brightly for half as long than to be a dim lingering light".

[Meg Woodbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short lived band broken by conflicts of interest... cause of drug use.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of these two characters and their chemistry - enjoyed reading it and listening to Up The Bracket.

[Tim Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

The kind of myth-making that the NME specialise in. A fawning account of a band that were never as important as they thought they were. I Get Along is a tune though.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably, the best book on The Libertines, out there. Informative, thorough, but still emotionally affecting. Not to mention lots of great pictures.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libs biography publish the year before their first reunion in 2010. Very good one with quotes and nice pictures by Roger Sargent.