The Libertines’ 2002 debut album Up the Bracket was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash. Jones brought veteran post-punk experience to the young London band, helping shape the album’s fast, ragged, guitar-driven sound.
The album was recorded at RAK Studios in London in August 2002 and released by Rough Trade Records that October. Its songs were written by co-frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barât, whose volatile partnership became central to the band’s mythology. The record mixed punk urgency with distinctly British melodic and lyrical touches.
Up the Bracket reached No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart and became an important release in the early-2000s British post-punk revival. The title itself refers to a phrase associated with comedian Tony Hancock, meaning a punch in the throat. Listeners sometimes confuse Jones with Bernard Butler, who produced an earlier Libertines single; Jones specifically produced the album and later worked on the band’s self-titled second record.