What do you do after being in the Libertines, one of the most notorious British bands of the early 21st Century? For Carl Barât, you form Dirty Pretty Things, something of an indie supergroup of their moment. Joining Barât was Libertines drummer Gary Powell, guitarist Anthony Rossomando, who’d stood in for Doherty, and former Cooper Temple Clause bassist, Didz Hammond.
Originally Released in 2006 after the messy disintegration of The Libertines, “Waterloo To Anywhere” was Carl Barât’s first solo statement.
Featuring the UK Top Five hit ‘Bang Bang You’re Dead’ and further singles ‘Deadwood’ and ‘Wondering’, it made no.3 in the albums chart and went gold.
Leading “Waterloo To Anywhere” was the infectious UK Top 5 hit “Bang Bang You’re Dead” (better known in recent years as live favourite for The Mighty Olafs), which set the tone for the fabulous collection of rock, punk and ska. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Dave Sardy and then later in Glasgow with Tony Doogan, the album showed the strength of the group’s writing. Away from the standard high-octane indie of “Gin & Milk” and “You F*cking Love It”, “The Gentry Cove” was particularly captivating, marrying Barât’s fascinating wordplay with robust Clash reggae/sea shanty interludes.
Two years later, it was all over; Barât and Powell re-joined the Libertines (and Rossomando later going on to win an Oscar for co-writing “Shallow” from the film A Star Is Born).
“Waterloo To Anywhere” was the debut album from the short-lived, briefly adored Dirty Pretty Things – Originally released on Vertigo Records in May 2006, the album reached No 3 in the UK charts and spawned three Top 40 singles.
The Fat Angel Sings 