5/10

The return of The Libertines was no doubt one of the biggest stories of this year. After a spell of reunion gigs over the past five years, the band had reunited fully and were preparing their first studio album in 11 years. And after a headline slot at Reading & Leeds last month, the band have now released what they have been working on since last Christmas, and to put it bluntly, it can hardly hold a candle to their previous work.

The problem with being a band like The Libertines, is that you are forever trapped by your legacy. Their first two albums, 'Up The Bracket' and 'The Libertines', are seen as modern classics that captured a pre-recession moment in music that are now seen as nostalgic times. But after more than a decade, it is clear that the band have lost that "all or nothing" attitude to their music and a sense of mediocrity has come over the one-time hell-raisers.

It is a real disappointment to hear that 'Anthems For Doomed Youth' couldn't be the bombastic return we were expecting. But for better or worse, the band are older, sober and not one to shake things up anymore, giving them very little to get excited about.