Up the Bracket

Info

Up the Bracket is track #7 on The Libertines' debut album of the same name. The track is credited to Doherty and Barat, and was also released as a single in 2002 - the second by The Libertines and the first from their debut album.

Peter Doherty said of the song, "That's me screaming at the start. There was all this fucking about in the studio. It was frustration. I can still see Mick with his can in his hand going, 'Right lads, no more fucking about!'"

In May 2007, NME magazine placed Up The Bracket at number 47 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. The song was also made infamous by its reference to London-based violent gangsters the Kray twins, the "two shadow men on the Vallance Road."

Appearing on

Live at O2 Academy Glasgow (1)	The Libertines	Album	2016-02-19
Time For Heroes	The Libertines	Album	2007-10-29
Only Peons Make Excuses	Peter Doherty	Fan mixtape	2004-04
One Live	The Libertines	Session	2002-10-30
Up the Bracket	The Libertines	Album	2002-10-14
Up the Bracket [Single]	The Libertines	Single	2002-09-30
BBC Evening Session	The Libertines	Session	2002-04
Nomis Sessions	The Libertines	Session	2002-02
XFM Session	The Libertines	Session	2002
Horrorshow in London Town	The Libertines	Session	Unknown

Concerts

Festival SOS 4.8	The Libertines	Murcia	2016-05-07
Live @ Olympia	The Libertines	Music Hall, Paris	2016-03-09
O2 London (1)	The Libertines		2016-01-30
Reading Festival 2015	The Libertines	Reading	2015-08-30
Rock en Seine 2015	The Libertines	Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, Saint-Cloud	2015-08-29
3Arena Dublin	The Libertines	3Arena Dublin	2015-07-09
Ahmad Tea Music Festival	The Libertines		2015-06-27
Benicàssim Festival	The Libertines	Benicàssim, Spain	2014-07-19
BST, Hyde Park, London	The Libertines	Hyde Park, London	2014-07-05
Glasgow Barrowland	The Libertines	Glasgow, Scotland	2014-06-29
Uebel & Gefährlich	Carl Barat	Hamburg	2010-11-01
Show more concerts
The Other Rooms, Newcastle	Carl Barat	Newcastle,England	2010-10-20
Rescue Rooms (1)	Carl Barat	Nottingham	2010-10-18
Reading Festival	The Libertines	Reading, UK	2010-08-28
HMV Forum	The Libertines	HMV Forum, London	2010-08-25
Glastonbury	Carl Barat	Leftfield Tent	2010-06-25
Paleo Festival	Peter Doherty	Paleo Festival, Nyon, Swiss	2009-07-24
Rhythm Factory	The Libertines	Whitechapel, London	2009-05-15
Live in Copenhagen	Peter Doherty	Copenhagen, Denmark	2009-04-09
The Mass	Peter Doherty	Brixton, London	2008-06-17
Rhythm Factory	Peter Doherty	Whitechapel, London	2007-12-16
Glastonbury	Peter Doherty	Park Stage	2007-06-23
Hultsfred	Babyshambles	Hultsfredsfestivalen, Sweden	2006-06-16
Tim Festival, Brazil	The Libertines	Jockey Club, São Paulo, Brazil	2004-11-07
Fine Line Music Cafe	The Libertines	Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis; Minnesota US	2004-10-08
Rhythm Factory	Peter Doherty	London (Whitechapel), UK	2004-07-13
Piss Me Off (At the Rhythm Factory)	The Libertines	London (Whitechapel), UK	2004-04-14
Rock Against Racism	The Libertines	London, UK	2004-03-16
Manchester Academy	The Libertines	Manchester, UK	2004-03-01
Live at Kenthish Town Forum	The Libertines	London, UK	2003-12-17
The Forum, 2003	The Libertines		2003-12-16
Paradiso, Amsterdam	The Libertines	Paradiso, Amsterdam	2003-05-19
CGBG, New York	The Libertines	New York, USA	2003-04-30
Live at Harajuku Astro Hall, Tokyo	The Libertines	Tokyo, Japan	2003-04-15
Shinjuku Liquid Room, Tokyo	The Libertines	Higashi, Shibuya, Tokyo	2003-04-13
Live @ Liverpool Academy 1	The Libertines	Liverpool, UK	2003-02-24
Live Eurosonic	The Libertines	Netherlands	2003-01-09
Sticky Fingers	The Libertines	Stockholm, Sweden	2002-12-18
Marquee Club, London	The Libertines	Marquee Club, London	2002-12-10
Le Cat, Bordeaux	The Libertines	Bordeaux, France	2002-12-01
Live at Razamatazz 2	The Libertines	Barcelona, Spain	2002-11-26
Magnet Club	The Libertines	Berlin, Germany	2002-11-13
London Calling Live	The Libertines	Paradiso, Netherland	2002-11-09
Live at Nottingham Rock City	The Libertines	Nottingham, UK	2002-10-30

Lyrics

Saw two shadowed men on the Vallance Road
Said they'd pay me for your address
Oh, I was so bold

To say, "you see these two cold fingers
These crooked fingers I show?"
You a way to mean no

Well, they didn't like that much I can tell you
Said, "sunshine I wouldn't wanna be in your shoes"
Then they chased me up three flights of stairs
Caught me in the lift,I sighed and said, "hello"
But your impossible

And it's just like he's in another world
He doesn't see the danger on show
Now he'll end up like Joseph bloody in the hole

And it's just like she's in another world
And how they suit each other, oh no
But you never get close
(Oh, it's impossible)

Saw the same two men on the Cally road
Said now they double their offer
I was so bold

To say, "you see these two cold fingers I know
These crooked fingers I show?"
Oh, you a way to mean no

But it's just like he's in another world
He doesn't see the danger on show
Now he'll end up like Joseph bloody in the hole

It's just like she's in another world
And how they suit each other, oh no
But you never get close
(It's unstoppable)

(Fuck off)

And it's just like we're all in another world
And how we suit each other, oh no
But you never get close
That's close enough now…