November 29, 2006 8:00

Carl Barat: “The Libertines nearly killed me”

The last days without Pete were tough, says singer

Dirty Pretty Things frontman Carl Barat has admitted that the demise of his old band The Libertines was almost the end for him.

Speaking exclusively in this weeks NME, Barat expalined that when he brought the group to a close in 2004 after touring without Pete Doherty he was at his lowest ebb.

“Finishing off The Libertines almost killed me," he explained. "Going around honouring commitments and trying to give every song what it deserved – it wasn’t easy. I should have worn a suit of armour. I was doing it for Pete.”

However he declared that the band’s legacy will live on – “I’ll be a Libertine until the day I die.”

Barat also speaks about his feud with Lily Allen, The Fratellis and Dirty Pretty Things' second album.

Also in this week's issue, find out all about the two (yes, two!) ShockWaves NME Awards Tours taking place next year - Indie Rock and Indie Rave.

Plus- Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl talks about his old Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain, we get an exclusive insight into the new Babyshambles EP ’The Blinding’ and there’s the first review of the new Gwen Stefani album.

Plus get your free CD from Trangressive records featuring tracks from Regina Spektor, The Young Knives and The Subways.

Get NME now…

- at all good news stands in the UK and selected outlets abroad

- instantly to your inbox in new digital magazine form! Save $$$!

- subscribe to get NME every week and save! From Wednesday.