Review: Babyshambles

Pete storms prison comeback gig

14 May 2008 - Set in the theatrical auditorium of the Forum in Kentish Town, hoards of Pete Doherty lovers gathered to see their idol play with his fellow Babyshambles band-mates for his first gig since leaving prison on 6 May.

The crowd was a melting pot of indie kids, lads, admiring girls, a heap of general music fans with a smattering of middle-aged fans thrown in too.

With the usual buzz in the air of whether Doherty will actually turn up, when the band finally took to the stage they were greeted with a rapturous response from adoring fans.

Doherty’s opening words were a slightly slurred: “Thanks for all your support, especially those of you who wrote a little letter in the last month.”

Then straight into Pipedown to kick start and it went down a storm with the crowd surging and singing along with Pete’s every word.

Three songs in and a little rusty since being incarcerated in Wormwood Scrubs prison, Doherty was vocal about momentarily forgetting Delivery’s starting chords.

In his trademark grey suit, white shirt teamed with skinny tie, braces and a trilby, Doherty looked healthier than his former self.

Throughout the set they tried out three new songs which went down well alongside hits like Kilimanjaro and Carry On Up The Morning.

Mid-set the band were joined by The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan. With drink in hand, MacGowan’s raspy voice complimented the collaboration on the Irish folk classic Dirty Old Town by Ewan MacColl.

Prison was the best thing for him, he came out and has just done the best gig he's ever done.
Fan

Other treats included a Ska inflected cover of Money In My Pocket by the reggae artist Dennis Brown, which Pete dedicated to his son.

They also cracked out a cover of the Squeeze track Cool For Cats which started well and then diminished into a somewhat shambolic effort but this did not matter as it fused with another hit, Side Of The Road.

Much to the security’s dismay Doherty continued to break laws, this time by lighting up a cigarette which was soon retrieved by a guard. With a chorus of boos resounding, he merely lit it up again.

For ten minutes of the encore the band seemed to lose their way, lacking focus, with some fans’ faces highlighting the sense of dissatisfaction that I was feeling.

But the finale F**k Forever was a frenzy of moshing, beer spillage, singing and stage invaders, including one fan who made it three times onto the stage over the course of the gig.

After the gig a fan said: "He was the best thing there and the best thing there ever will be. The prison was the best thing for him, he came out and has just done the best gig he's ever done."

Georgie Rogers