Carl Barât

Bringing an insider's perspective is musician and DJ Carl Barât. Carl originally shot to fame as the singer and guitarist for those explosive dandies The Libertines, a band that, in their short and spectacular lifetime, galvanised the English rock scene with their power-packed songs, co-written with guitarist and lyricist Pete Doherty. After the demise of the Libertines, he dusted himself down and launched his current band, Dirty Pretty Things, to great acclaim, releasing a storming album, Waterloo To Anywhere, in 2006.

Carl is currently busy demoing new songs for the band, while reportedly writing a musical with his old sparring partner Doherty. He's also rumoured to be playing tortured rock'n'roller Gene Vincent in a movie about the life of eccentric English producer Joe Meek.

Expert blog

  1. 3 July 2008
    Your questions answered
    Q - How do you get a good band more exposure – what is best to raise awareness and gain momentu...
    Q - How do you get a good band more exposure – what is best to raise awareness and gain momentum? A - Best way to get exposure is to try and get as many support tours as possible, try and get an agent to put you forward for as high profile show as possible. This is more important than trying to get a deal. Q - How does a band get on the festival circuit? A - There are so many festivals at the moment it is easy to get on A festival circuit of sorts, the trick is to get on the RIGHT festival circuit. Again a good agent is the way to get this, or win Road to V. Q - What is the most ridiculous rider you’ve ever heard? A - Haha, that has to be W.A.S.P. it included boneless offal and a wood chipper to spry the offal over the crowd...oh and maggot filled balloons! Q - What sound is going to be the most commercial over the next year or two? A - I think bands like MGMT are leading us away from the more generic guitar/indie bands which is a good thing. Sam Sparro is bringing a bit more glamour to the proceedings as well. The Fratellis new album is great and I have heard some of The Enemy’s new tracks which are going to be massive.

Other Experts

  1. Mags

    Mags Revell

    One of the music industry's leading promoters, Mags knows exactly what he's looking for when it comes to Road To V. More

  2. Paul Samuels

    Paul Samuels

    Paul Samuels started working with The Flaming Lips some 12 years ago, before their Warners deal. More

  3. Sav Remzi

    Sav Remzi

    Sav is responsible for a number of cutting edge projects since the early Nineties... More

  4. Mark Beaumont

    Mark Beaumont

    Mark Beaumont has been a critic and writer for NME since 1995, interviewing almost every major rock artist from Morrissey to McCartney... More