Here are some things we know for sure about the Libertines. They're from London. They released their debut album Up the Bracket earlier this year in the US (though the UK got their copies in October 2002). And many times they've been called "the English Strokes", which is a pretty lazy way of referring to them. Like the Strokes, they wear tight leather jackets and stylishly greasy hair, but the similarities pretty much end there. The Libertines do possess a late 70's punk rock slant, but it's more in the vein of the Buzzcocks and the Jam rather than the Strokes' penchant for Velvet Underground and Television.

And the Strokes don't have censor-worthy songs that exclaim, "Mind yer bleedin' own you two bob cunt".

With lyrics like that and the snotty surface persona of the band, the words "quintessentially British" also seem to follow the Libertines around. But is that accurate? Pete answers, "Quintessentially British? Like Quentin Crisp or terraced houses or foreign girls? Yes, I rather think so sweetly of our sound, and ragged skagged up northern kids on estates, looking grim and optimistic in the rain, cashing a giro and sailing on a lilo in the arcadian neverneverlands of the imagination."

So that's another thing you should know about the Libertines, they're nothing if not cheeky. Pete in particular likes to give answers that are roundabout and colorful, not always being straight up. But it also shows how quite articulate he is and that he has an incredibly active imagination. For instance, ask them about how the band formed and Pete and Carl are likely to tell you some strange tales of a fictitious land called Arcadia, a ship called The Albion, and some crazy characters like Delvin the Wizard and Sandra the Wood Nymph. They even claim to have once had a drummer who was old enough to collect social security. "Oh, that's true", current drummer Gary admits. "Mr. Razzcocks. He was 70 years-old."

As mentioned before, this was the first round of gigs for the Libertines in the US. And with the exception of Gary (who was born in New Jersey and moved to England at age three), the band members had never been here. But even though the tour was a pretty small one, they did manage to hit NYC with a one-two (three) punch. Of the 7 gigs they played, three were in New York (the others were Coachella, Seattle, Philly, and Boston, respectively). That's not to mention a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman. So, Pete, as this is your first time here in the Big Apple, what are you looking forward to seeing the most?

"As always I`m desperate to see clearly the inside of my eyelids. Also massive ghooseburgers, is it?" (does this guy ever give a straight answer?)

It is questionable how the American music-listening public will react to them. Sure, the Kinks, the Jam, and Blur (the three bands they're most often compared too) were brilliant, but their commercial success in the US has been limited. "I think we`ll be received in America like everywhere else," Pete declares. "Some will ignore us, some will adore us, some will try and break us. Some will try and play us, fuck us, cut us, cuss us. Kidnap us, teach us, drain us, derail us, impale us, scale us, delight us thrice nightly and what not." At least in NY, the crowds seemed to fit into the "adore us" category. Each gig was a sold-out event (including one at CBGB's, which even with a less-than-stellar sound system, the band wanted to play because of the history). A more extensive tour is tenatively scheduled for late summer/ early fall.