As my friends and I stumbled back into our, pretentiously decorated Travel Lodge sweet, (is there such a thing) I found myself brimming with delight. "What a night, and what a performance!" Suddenly, the Lithuanian girl who I briefly exchanged tongues with earlier on in the night, outside some dodgy chip shop, didn't seem so bad after all. Incidentally, she was probably only after my passport, or wallet, or both. Never the less it didn't matter as I had just witnessed, the magic and emotive Rock'n Roll performance, of Pete Doherty and his new band, the Babyshambles.
Fuelled by our best friend for the night, Mr Jack Daniels, my friends and I now found ourselves engaged in quite an intellectual conversation. What was it about this pot faced ex heroin addict that we find so appealing? Certainly it's not his rotten teeth, or his filthy drug habits; maybe it's his association with Kate Moss? Then, suddenly, we stumbled (again, but this time on an idea and not through the door way) on common ground. Misdemeanours and super models aside we were of the unanimous decision that the guy could perform live!
Will they turn up? Will they get arrested? Will they start a fight live on stage? For us, these questions had more or less dominated the car journey down, however, as we left the bar (the first time in three hours) and took our places, among the exuberant crowd, all pre gig jitters were forgiven as Pete Doherty and his band strolled out from the staging area and took their positions, sending the fans into frenzy. It was, both a highly religious and erotic experience from the start, as the fans scrambled around, in desperation, reaching their hands into the air as if to get the kings touch.
In an explosive 45-minute set that drew on every raw emotion you had in your body, the gig was frantic and boisterous as it was engaging and heartfelt. Doherty pranced around the stage with the sort of edge and arrogance of a man that, despite what the press say, is totally together musically. As he briskly waved his microphone around in his hand between vocal pauses he sent the crowd into ecstasy as the band ripped through new album tracks.
They opened with the, high-octane track, of 'Stick and Stones', teeming with evocatively charged guitar riffs, the song harks back to the influences of the Clash, but at the same time offers the Babyshambles own take of melancholic rock'n roll. 'Albion' was performed with, the passion and sincerity that matched the songs lyrics, an opiated love song to England, whereas 'Fuck Forever' was a more immediate and accessible listen,' but didn't push the same emotive buttons. Banter with the crowd was at a premium, and at its height forced Doherty and other band members to withdraw their shirts in favour of the adoring crowd. There was a definite frisson when he ripped off his polo shirt and exposed that by now, well-known bare chest. And as I gaze around the arena, firstly spotting the bar (as I was getting fed up of holding an empty glass) it occurred to me that the majority of the hype and hysteria surrounding Doherty and the band was mostly coming from the blokes, myself included. Strange to think, but demonstrates the connection he unquestionably made with the fans on the night. Fans, were simply, transfixed by his presence. As the set drew to and end and the final guitar riff in 'Pipe down', rung out around the atmospheric venue, Doherty and the band exited, and then if almost inevitably, the chant went up, 'Pete, Pete, Pete. After a brief pause, the enigmatic front man, and his new band return to the fans delight, as they roar through an encore of the bands infectious groove of 'killamangiro', which, happens to my personal favourite. At 3 minutes and 24 seconds it is an immaculate pop rock song. The infectious R&B groove (laid down by bass player Drew Mcconnell and drummer Adam Ficek) is complemented by Patrick Walden's guitar who, weaves in and out of the texture, with incredible skill and dexterity. The whole arrangement is punctuated by the melancholic vocals of Doherty, who on the night generated an irresistible charge of excitement.
The gig, on the whole, really did get me much closer into understanding the complexities of the phenomena that is Pete Doherty, and as with all things in life, you shouldn't knock anything until you have tried it. It is only bearing this in mind, that it is of course up to people, to form their own opinion about Pete Doherty and his addictions, but I would heartily recommend that people see him perform live before calling him a waster who doesn't care.
Remaining Tickets are available from Seetickets.com, NME.com, Ticketweb.co.uk, and the NME ticket line (0870 1663663).
About the Author
Ross Macmillan, is a creative and talented young journalist with a passion for popular music. He divides his time between University and music gigs. If you want him to write a review of a musical performance or concert free of charge, get in contact with him at r_macj7@yahoo.co.uk