Carl Barât

Carl Ashley Raphael Barât (; born 6 June 1978) is a British musician and actor, best known for being the co-frontman with Pete Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and in 2010 debuted a solo album. In 2014 he announced the creation of his new band, The Jackals.

Early life

Carl Barât was born in Basingstoke, north Hampshire, England, on 6 June 1978, and spent most of his childhood in nearby Whitchurch, Hampshire. In a September 2004 interview with ''Blender'', Barât mentioned he is of French, Russian and Polish descent.

As a youth, Barât divided his time between his divorced parents. His father, a former artist, worked in an armaments factory, and his mother, Chrissie, was part of the commune-dwelling counterculture and a member of peace groups such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Barât spent part of his childhood living with his mother on a commune in Somerset. He has one sister, actress-turned-singer Lucie Barât, who played Helen's handmaiden in the 2004 film ''Troy'', founded publishing house and artistic organization Little Episodes, and is currently the lead singer of The Au Revoirs. He also has three half-siblings, one step brother and one step sister.

In 1996, Barât was studying for a drama degree at Brunel University at the campus in St. Margarets, Twickenham. Although he dropped out halfway through, during his time he became well-acquainted with Pete Doherty's sister, Amy-Jo and through her, Barât met Doherty. They soon developed an intense friendship based on a shared interest in music and songwriting. Barât and Doherty also developed a shared mythology in which they were on a ship called 'The Albion' sailing to 'Arcadia'. After both dropped out of university, they formed The Libertines. The band in its final incarnation included bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell. Barât and Doherty were co-frontmen, sharing songwriting, vocal and guitar duties.

Career

The Libertines

The Libertines' first album, '' Up the Bracket'', was released in 2002 to critical acclaim. The band appeared on the cover of ''NME'' before the album was released and rapidly rose to fame in the UK. Referring to their relationship in a January 2010 interview, Barât said, "... it's a deep love. Deep love does funny things to people".

In 2003, Doherty's addiction to heroin and crack cocaine led Barât to ask him not to participate in the band's next tour. When Doherty discovered that The Libertines had left without him to perform in Japan he broke into Barât's Mayfair flat and stole various items, including an antique guitar and an NME Award. He was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison (this sentence was later shortened to two months). Barât warmly welcomed Doherty back to The Libertines on the day of his release, and they later performed an impromptu "Freedom Gig" at the Tap 'n' Tin club in Chatham, Kent on 8 October 2003. A photograph of the gig, taken by Roger Sargent, adorns The Libertines' self-titled second album, ''The Libertines'', and the cover of Sargent's and Anthony Thornton's book, '' The Libertines Bound Together''.

Doherty's drug addiction continued while the band worked on their second album (the aforementioned ''The Libertines'') in 2004, which strained his relationship with Barât. Bodyguards were needed in the recording sessions, allegedly to prevent Barât and Doherty from physically assaulting each other (though this is claimed to be an exaggeration of the press in ''Bound Together'') and to keep Doherty's hangers-on away from him. Before the release of the album in 2004, relations between Barât and Doherty reached a breaking point and Doherty was once again prevented from performing with the band before addressing his addictions. Doherty did not take the ultimatum well, especially as The Libertines continued touring without him to fulfill contractual obligations.

What was intended as a short leave of absence turned into something more permanent, as Doherty formed a new band, Babyshambles, and the Libertines officially disbanded after their final gig in December 2004.

On 15 May 2009, Barât, Doherty and Powell of the Libertines played on stage together for the first time since the split in 2004. The Libertines (minus Denmark-residing bassist John Hassall) came together for a tribute gig for their late promoter, Johnny Sedassy. The six song set, which included "What a Waster", "Up the Bracket" and "Death on the Stairs", was played after Babyshambles appeared on stage. Barât said the show was a 'one off', although he said more shows could not be ruled out. Barât also expressed his desire to get on stage with Doherty again, although perhaps not until 2010. Powell also confirmed that he would be interested in a full reunion, although he wished to "readdress old ghosts first".

The Libertines delighted their fans by announcing that year that they would be headline artists at the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festivals. Their set and the characteristic chemistry between the pair, was for many people one of the highlights of the weekend.

In April 2014 the Libertines announced they would again reform for a show at London's Hyde Park. In November 2014 the band signed a record deal with Virgin EMI Records, and released their third album, '' Anthems for Doomed Youth,'' on 11 September 2015, leading to Headline slots at Reading and Leeds, T in the Park as well as a surprise slot at Glastonbury. They toured across 2016 and 2017 finishing with a tour across the seaside.

Dirty Pretty Things

On 15 September 2005, it was announced that Barât was forming a new band. His bandmates included former Libertines drummer Gary Powell; Anthony Rossomando, who filled in as guitarist following Doherty's departure from the group; and Didz Hammond, formerly of The Cooper Temple Clause, on bass. It was later announced that the band's name was "Dirty Pretty Things".

The group played their first shows in Italy and Paris, France, in October 2005, before recording their debut album in November 2005 in Los Angeles, California. This was produced by Dave Sardy, who has also worked with Supergrass, The Dandy Warhols, Jet, Marilyn Manson, Rolling Stones, and Oasis

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