Championed by NME, the band's first single What a Waster charted at number 37, despite being banned from Radio 1 and commercial radio due to an overabundance of foul language; this set the trend for steadily increasing returns, culminating in a #2 single and #1 album in the UK Charts. However, the band's music was often eclipsed by its internal conflicts, many of which stemmed from Doherty's considerable drug use, and it was mostly because of this that after a final show in Paris (without Pete) that the band was disbanded at the end of 2004.
The former members of The Libertines have gone on to form three splinter bands, with varying degrees of commercial and critical success. These bands include Peter Doherty in Babyshambles, Carl Barât and Gary Powell in Dirty Pretty Things and John Hassall in Yeti.
Pete and Carl recently came back to work on Babyshambles' charity cover of The Clash's 'Janie Jones' for Strummerville. Carl and Pete also performed 13 songs together in April 2007 as Carl appeared on stage at one of Pete's shows. On the 29th of March 2010 the Libertines announced they had reunited to play the Leeds and Reading festivals in August.
On 20 April 2014 an image of London's Hyde Park was released to the band's Facebook page. Around this time both Carl Barat and Peter Doherty indicated in interviews that they had accepted an offer to play the venue on July 5, 2014. On 25 April, it was confirmed that The Libertines will play on Saturday 5 July in London's Hyde Park, headlining the day, as part of the Barclaycard British Summer Time series of concerts. Support for the concert will be provided by a number of bands and artists, most notably The Pogues, Spiritualized, Maxïmo Park, Raglans and The Enemy
On 20 May, it was confirmed that The Libertines will play on Saturday 19 July in Benicassim FIB, Spain, as headliners.
They have also announced a European tour, their first tour in 10 years, consisting of 9 dates prior to the release of a new album in 2015, 11 years after their previous studio release.
The band's reunion album was followed by a series of festival appearances, including a surprise gig during the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, as they were secretly called to replace Florence + the Machine (who were earlier announced as unscheduled headliners after Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl's injury prevented the latters from headlining the day). The Libertines were filmed as they landed down off an helicopter outside the festival site, and stated their show with a hit from their 2nd album, Can't Stand Me Now.
On the 13th of October 2023 the band released their first single in eight years, as well as announcing that their new album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade will be arriving on March 8, 2024.[40] To celebrate the announcement of the new album the band announced "The Albionay Tour". An intimate club tour that sold out in seconds. [41]
Music When the Lights Go Out
The Libertines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not to speak my mind
And to lie to you
Rather than hurt you
Well, I'll confess all of my sins
After several large gins
But still I'll hide from you
And alarm bells ring
When you say your heart still sings
When you're with me
Oh won't you please forgive me
I no longer hear the music
Oh no no no no no
And all the memories of the pubs
And the clubs and the drugs and the tubs
We shared together
Will stay with me forever
But all the highs and the lows
And the to's and the fro's
They left me dizzy
Oh won't you please forgive me
I no longer hear the music
Oh no no no no no
Well I no longer hear the music when the lights go out
Love goes cold in the shades of doubt
The strange face in my mind it's all too clear
Music when the lights come on
The girl I thought I knew has gone
With her my heart it disappeared
Well I no longer hear the music
Oh no no no no no
All the memories of the fights and the nights
Under blue lights all the kites
We flew together
I thought they'll fly forever
But all the highs and the lows
And the to's and the fro's
They left me dizzy
Won't you forgive me
I no longer hear the music
I no longer hear the music
I no longer hear the music
When the lights go out
Love goes cold in the shades of doubt
The strange face in my mind is all too clear
Music when the lights come on
The girl I thought I knew has gone
With her my heart it disappeared
I no longer hear the music
Oh no no no no no
I no longer hear the music
The Libertines' song "Music When the Lights Go Out" tells the story of a troubled relationship and the internal struggle of deciding whether to lie or speak one's mind. The singer questions whether it is cruel or kind to lie to his partner rather than hurt them with the truth. However, despite the temptation to hide his feelings, he admits that he will eventually confess all of his sins. The chorus reveals the pain caused by the relationship as the singer confirms "I no longer hear the music" when the lights go out. The memories of the past are still vivid in his mind, but the love that once existed has now gone cold.
The line "And all the memories of the pubs and the clubs and the drugs and the tubs" showcases the hedonistic lifestyle of the singer and his partner. The reference to "large gins" and "drugs" suggests a party lifestyle that inevitably led to the downfall of the relationship. The line "But all the highs and the lows and the to's and the fro's, they left me dizzy" emphasizes the emotional turmoil that the singer experienced. The reference to "alarm bells" ringing when his partner says her heart still sings when she's with him suggests that they both know the relationship is over, but struggle to let go.
The chorus of "I no longer hear the music" refers to the loss of the joy and passion that once existed in their relationship. The lyrics are haunting and bittersweet, telling the story of a love that has faded away. Despite the sadness of the song, it remains one of The Libertines' most popular tracks, as it showcases the band's raw and emotional style.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it cruel or kind
I'm conflicted about whether it's better to speak honestly and potentially hurt you or to lie and spare your feelings
Not to speak my mind
I'm considering not telling you what's really on my mind
And to lie to you
I'm grappling with whether it's better to deceive you to avoid hurting you
Rather than hurt you
I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt
Well, I'll confess all of my sins
I plan on revealing all my bad behavior
After several large gins
I plan on getting drunk before confessing
But still I'll hide from you
Even though I'm confessing, there are things I'm not ready to reveal
Hide what's inside from you
I'm keeping my true feelings and thoughts secret from you
And alarm bells ring
I'm getting a warning signal that something is wrong
When you say your heart still sings
Your declaration that you still love me sets off a red flag
When you're with me
It's when we're together that the warning signal goes off
Oh won't you please forgive me
I'm asking for your forgiveness
I no longer hear the music
I don't feel the same passionate connection to you anymore
And all the memories of the pubs
I have fond memories of the times we spent together at bars and clubs
And the clubs and the drugs and the tubs
We often engaged in risky and hedonistic behaviors together
We shared together
These moments were significant and special to me because we experienced them as a pair
Will stay with me forever
I'll always remember these moments
But all the highs and the lows
Our relationship had its ups and downs
And the to's and the fro's
There were times when we weren't sure where our relationship was headed
They left me dizzy
These moments of uncertainty and turmoil made me feel unstable and unsure
Well I no longer hear the music when the lights go out
I don't feel the same passionate connection to you when we're alone in the dark
Love goes cold in the shades of doubt
My feelings for you have cooled because of my uncertainty about our relationship
The strange face in my mind it's all too clear
I'm realizing that I don't know you as well as I thought I did
Music when the lights come on
Our relationship used to feel passionate and exciting
The girl I thought I knew has gone
I'm realizing that you've changed and I don't know you anymore
With her my heart it disappeared
My feelings for you have vanished as I've come to realize you're not the person I thought you were
All the memories of the fights and the nights
I remember all the arguments and late nights we spent together
Under blue lights all the kites
We spent many memorable moments together in dimly lit rooms
We flew together
We had some thrilling experiences together
I thought they'll fly forever
I assumed that our exciting times together would never end
Won't you forgive me
I'm asking for your forgiveness
I no longer hear the music
I don't feel the same passionate connection to you anymore
Oh no no no no no
A repetition of my realization that I no longer feel the same way about you
I no longer hear the music
I don't feel the same passionate connection to you anymore
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carl Barat, Peter Doherty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind