Time For Heroes // The Libertines
The likely lads are famous for many things that’s they brought to the UK indie scene in the early 2000s, but structured guitar solos are not one of them. Although The Libertines are iconic figures in guitar music, most of their tracks worked due to a combination of riffs, chords, poetic lyrics and backstage drama. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAusT_Yl1gE&w=740&h=422] The 2002 single ‘Time for Heroes’ was written by Pete Doherty about his experiences of police brutality during the May Day riots of 2000. The song perfectly showcases the bands ability to intertwine violence with romance and British patriotism. These conflicting elements of the song are fully exhibited in the guitar sequences the starts around the 1:40 mark. Starting with a slow, melancholy riff harmoniously backed by the second guitar playing chords, the guitars then begin to duel, both playing conflicting solos, before an epic finale in which the guitars of both Pete Doherty and Carl Barat come together once more and Pete repeats the first verse. The violently battled nature of this instrumental perfectly represents the scenes that the singer saw that day, playing out like a one minute standalone opera. Words by Matt Ganfield (@mattganfield)