Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Dominic Stephenson enjoys the improbable return of Babyshambles celebrating 20 years of Down In Albion
Image by George Driver
A Babyshambles reunion tour wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card, but is now the latest segment of Pete Doherty’s improbable redemption arc. 20 years since the release of Down In Albion and 11 since they last toured in any capacity, my 17-year-old self would’ve been ecstatic with the news that the good ship Albion would set sail once again.
Some difficulties getting into town meant Cucamaras arrived too early, so it was straight into the set from gristle punk stalwarts Warmduscher. The London quintet have veered more into disco peanut territory in the last few years but they rolled out heavy hitters like Midnight Dipper and I Got Friends, as well as the rollicking scuzz of a few less trodden numbers. They had a tough time with the sound but Warmduscher have always been an enigma to me; despite consistent rave reviews, I always find them grating live, particularly the frontman, as well as being a sonic mismatch for the indie giants to come.
Doherty formed Babyshambles as an immediate reaction to being kicked out of The Libertines for his escalating drug use and their narrative has always been shrouded in something gloomier, laced with more intrigue. You just knew this would be one of those gigs where the anticipation hung heavy in the air and the atmosphere was the utmost febrile as soon as they launched into Killamangiro, backed up by a jubilant rendition of Delivery. I was slightly startled by how healthy Doherty looks, having swapped the crack for French cheese he’s also shed some timber, as the 21st century minstrel sauntered around the stage clad in his signature trilby and twirling a cane.
I hadn’t heard tunes like the swooning Sedative in years and the back alley slinking of There She Goes and La Belle Et La Bete transported the crowd back to indie’s halcyon era, while the frontman swapped shirts with an audience member and hurled out a couple of bits of free merch to some lucky attendees down the front. 8 Dead Boys surged from the stage and was one of two standouts, and this is probably the sharpest Babyshambles have ever sounded; along with Mick Whitnall’s jangling guitar, they’re also dynamised by sturdy basslines and crisp percussion. This tour also carried significant emotional heft, after the band’s first guitarist Patrick Walden passed away earlier this year and his portrait was projected on the backing screen, along with various vintage and bucolic images.
As expected, there’s still an element of unpredictability to the group, with scrappy instrumentation at times and at every show I’ve seen him do, Doherty has a habit of waffling on around the halfway mark which outstays its welcome. Still, a rousing, full-venue singalong to Albion was followed by him proclaiming, “This is the all-new reliable, dependable Babyshambles” – shortly after, he introduced wife and Putra Madres bandmate Katia de Vidas for their new single, the ska-pop Dandy Hooligan, with her on melodica. This and unreleased song Race War received an indifferent response and it was abundantly clear many in the audience were there for the nostalgia factor, before a blistering one-two encore of Pipedown and the pure elation of Fuck Forever, a tune I’d waited half a lifetime to hear live.
This was certainly no mere victory lap and the resurrected Babyshambles evidently intend on pressing on into the future; with a new album potentially on the horizon, it’ll be interesting to see if the nostalgia heads follow them into their resurgent new chapter.
