Looking back into the sun: Today in Libertines history

29 September 2003 - Some anguished Libertines fans read this piece of news in the papers:

"Jailed LIBERTINES rocker PETE DOHERTY's prison sentence has been slashed on appeal - and he could be a free man within days.
Doherty - who has admitted to a heroin and crack cocaine addiction - is currently incarcerated at London's WANDSWORTH PRISON after being sentenced on burglary charges, but today (29SEP03) he had his original six month term reduced to just two.
The frontman was jailed earlier this month (SEP03) after he admitted breaking into fellow Libertine CARL BARAT's flat and stealing an antique guitar, video recorder, a laptop, mouth organ and a CD player.
Doherty's lawyer RICHARD LOCKE told the appeal hearing at MIDDLESEX GUILDHALL CROWN COURT, England, the burglary was an impulsive and unplanned act motivated by "feelings of anger and betrayal by his closest friend".
He told the court, "He is a 24 year old who had suddenly come into a bit of fame and a bit of money and clearly has a drug habit.
"Having visited my client in prison he has impressed on me that the prison sentence has done him the world of good. The complaint he has is that there was no credit for a guilty plea."
Reducing the sentence, JUDGE DEREK INMAN said, "We feel that a custodial sentence was justified in this case but sufficient credit was not given for his timely plea of guilty which it should have been.
"We have reduced his sentence to two months which will allow for his almost immediate release."
Doherty has already served three weeks in prison and may only have to endure one more week inside, once time off for good behaviour is taken into consideration".

Peter's arrest is seen by many people as the main key event that eventually led to the break up with Carl Barat and subsequently of the Libertines, but probably it was only one of the steps of the ladder that precipitated the band's downfall. Prior to that, Peter had been ostracized by the band during the European tour, and in reaction he had broken into Carl's flat while the Libertines were at the Fuji Festival in Japan. Pete's lawyer talked about "an impulsive and unplanned act motivated by feelings of anger and betrayal by his closest friend". Many people believed his words, first of all Carl Barat. As we all know, the two made up a few weeks later, but we'll talk about that on the appropriate day.

The state of the nation

1. Macca meets Docka

Apparently Peter was given a special permission to leave the rehab yesterday because he had to meet no other than.... (drumroll) Sir Paul McCartney in person. It seems Peter was extremely excited about this meeting with Paulie, who allegedly gave him some hints about music, drugs and women (and I hope a special lesson about How To Make Up With Your Best Friend Before It's Too Late, for which I think Paul should get a degree). No pictures yet and no tips about when and where this "interview" is going to be published (if ever).

2. More Shotters reviews

Namely:

The Times

The Guardian

The Independent

3. Weekly L.A. Baratspotting

The Mighty Carlos gets along and goes to a lot of gigs. This week he has been spotted at the Arctic Monkeys gig at the Hollywood Palladium (Tuesday) and at the Klaksons debut, at the Henry Fonda Theater (in Hollywood theaters are named after actors - who needs something as trivial as The Old Vic?) last night. NME blogger Lindsay Parker saw him but chose to hide away from him because she was wearing a Babyshambles t-shirt. Listen to me, Lindsay: this is NOT 2005 anymore, for fuckssake. You could have at least tried to - ahem - talk to him and - ahem - decypher something and give us some news about the - ahem - recording of the new - ahem - album, you've spoilt everything instead because your current level of information is not updated at all. Naughty naughty girl.

Shotter's Nation: The NME review

Well.... just have a read.

Pete Doherty: the only internationally renowned rock star on the face of the planet to have avoided prison hundreds of times, shacked up with a supermodel, burgled his best mate's flat, been the proud parent of some adorable crack-addicted kittens and still think the world's got it in for him. An early example of his victim complex would be The Libertines' 'Branding Sessions' from 2004, where you'll hear Pete sneaking the lines "I've read every review/They all prefer you" into a solo take of 'Can't Stand Me Now'.For the latest instalment, see the sleeve of Babyshambles' second album 'Shotters Nation'. It's based on a painting by Henry Wallis, depicting the young 18th century forger of medieval poetry, Thomas Chatterton. Penniless, derided by the art community and public at large for his fraudulent verses and dead by his own hand by the age of 17. It wasn't until seven years after his demise that his romantic peers - Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Rossetti - realised they might have read him all wrong and started commemorating him in their own poems. Look him up on Wikipedia and he's filed under "icon of unacknowledged genius". And it doesn't take the genius of Chatterton to work out why Pete is so obsessed by that story and this painting of him in particular, a different version of which has already appeared at the front of The Books Of Albion, his recently published diaries.OK, so we can't tell you how they'll remember 'Shotters Nation' in 2020 (seven years after Doherty shuffles off this mortal coil, if the rock star mortality gauge in last week's NME is anything to go by), but what we can say is that this album marks Pete's last opportunity to play hard-done-by. Because if he can't get it right this time around with his ever-faithful band, the big guns record company (after debut album 'Down In Albion', Babyshambles left Rough Trade for major label Parlophone) and the producer legend (more of which later) then it doesn't matter how many people have been tabloid brainwashed to like Carl, Kate and your kittens over you, you've still bollocksed it all up all by yourself.What we can also tell you, confidently, is that is nowhere near the case. Though, we hope, 'Shotters Nation' isn't his magum opus, it's still infinitely more consistent, listenable and likely to get played on the radio than its predecessor ever was. However this isn't necessarily always a good thing. Let's start with the bad news: there are no so-harrowingly-beautiful-they're-practically-holy big moments on 'Shotters Nation' like there were on the first album. But - and it's a big but - listening back to that most ravaged of debuts now, it's not quite clear whether said big moments ('Albion', 'Loyalty Song' the "and wheeeyyyeeeeyyynnn they make you toe the liiiiiyyyyyiiiinnn" line from 'Fuck Forever') would ever have soared quite so chest-beatingly high if it wasn't just in contrast to the half-baked, smacked-out dross that surrounded them on every side. And certainly we're not about to penalise this album for being more coherent than the first one and having 10 (out of 12) decent tunes instead of three-and-a-half (out of 16).Of course, even a casual Doherty enthusiast will know that the man works better in a partnership than alone (quality control, I believe it's called) and 'Shotters Nation' is very much a team effort - both with the freakishly reliable and criminally underrated Drew McConnell, Mik Whitnall and Adam Ficek line-up of Babyshambles, and producer Stephen Street. It's not until you compare 'Shotters Nation' with anything Pete's been involved with before that you realise just how much Mick Jones must have let him get away while he was orchestrating both Libertines albums and 'Down In Albion'. Structure, tight pop hooks and the refusal to let the band record a song until they'd actually finished writing it are probably the three things the one-time Blur and Smiths producer will be most widely credited for bringing to Olympic Studios this springtime.But towering above all of these are the changes he's wrought on Pete's voice. Gone are the nails-in-the-groin mewlings and say-what mumblings of 'Down In Albion', replaced with all the androgynous and coquettish sensuality that indie-dom first swooned for back in 2002 when The Libs' debut single 'What A Waster' came out. Christ knows how a voice can sound doe-eyed, but this one certainly can - and it's instantly recognisable from the very first startled inflection. If you had to give Street just one standing ovation for this record, it would be for turning Pete into one of the most recognisable and idiosyncratic singers around. Just, you might say, like he did with Damon Albarn and Morrissey previously.What that voice spends a lot of time saying on 'Shotters Nation' is that music is the only medium in which the ever so hard-done-by soul attached to it ever stands a hope of being understood. "Giving up trying to explain/I just put it in a song instead", goes opener 'Carry On Up The Morning', while 'Delivery''s chorus occasionally warps into "This song will deliver me/Straight from the harshness of misery/'Cos this song's a delivery/Straight from the heart to you". But scrape a little harder and you'll notice that 'Delivery' is probably also a thinly-veiled reference to intravenous drug use and what he's actually having trouble explaining on 'Carry On Up The Morning' is that "it's too easy getting out of my head". This is echoed on 'You Talk', the song that follows, with the line "No I never, ever said it was clever/I just like getting leathered", before he sees a little sense and astutely assesses his harem of hangers-on and so-called friends in 'UnBiloTitled' - "You said that you loved me, why don't you fuck off?/Anyone would think you're only ripping me off". Poetry in motion it is not. And that's before you get to the oddly touching line about Mik putting his trousers back on.Luckily, all four tracks mentioned above - from the effortless nod to The Kinks that is 'Delivery' to the camp Britpop posturing of 'You Talk' - are strong enough to overshadow any bungled lyrics. And being able to celebrate a Babyshambles album for its musicality and vocal performances rather than its wordplay is both a novel and reassuring place to be. 'Unstookie Titled' is the blissed-out, acoustic prequel to 'Albion' (it even borrows the repetition "one and the same, one and the same") that comes closest to the - however artificially magnified - sublime peaks of their debut. 'Crumb Begging Baghead' has the chorus Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have been looking for since 'Spread Your Love'. Meanwhile 'Carry On Up The Morning' is one of the strongest openers of any album we've heard all year - all the prior talk of the 'Shambles coming unstuck without the co-writing credits and experimental guitars of former member Patrick Walden are immediately dispelled in two bars of Mik's cheerfully derailed, mod-punk squall. And as closers go, you'd be hard pushed to find anything that keeps haunting for quite as long after the CD has finished whirring as the impossibly fragile folk-busk of 'Lost Art Of Murder' with '60s minstrel Bert Jansch.Even the moments where they don't quite nail it sound like sure-fire hits next to the quality of filler on 'Down In Albion'. 'French Dog Blues' would be a contender for the song of Pete's career if it weren't for a chorus that sounds like it was written and stuck on in the fag break between takes. 'There She Goes' slinks along, all double-bass and brush-sticks, believing itself to be a dusky descendant of The Cure's 'The Lovecats', but sounds more like something from Cats the musical. Elsewhere though, Pete-does-vaudeville is a thing to be encouraged, such as his acid catcall of "how's your life with a washed-up wife?" on 'Baddie's Boogie' - part Widow Twanky, part the kind of lowly elocution that presumably comes with hanging out with Kate Moss for too long. In fact, all of the above swipes are minor in comparison to the real story here. Which is that while this isn't the perfect phoenix-like resurrection some quarters were whispering about at the beginning of the summer, it's the evidence the fans, the haters and Mik, Drew and Adam, no doubt, needed to be convinced that Babyshambles are more than a flexi-time evening job for their frontman. There's loads to love about 'Shotters Nation', but what's really exciting is how much it feels like there's still more to come.So having established all that, it's time for the inescapable question: how long until Pete packs in this vanity project and reforms The Libertines for good? Well, it looks like it's the last time we'll need to answer that in a Babyshambles review because, apart from 'There She Goes', the other almost-clanger is 'Side Of The Road' - an agitated rehash of 'The Boy Looked At Johnny'; the only song here that The Libs could have written and one of the weakest of the bunch. Sure, he might have taken his time about it, but 'Shotters Nation' is where the world's most hard-done-by man finally shoots his albatross and proves he can be just as startlingly creative and considered even when that Carl Barât's not in the room. Hear that, Pete? We like it. Now just work on those lyrics and save us the woe-is-me routine next time.

Rating: 8/10

Pete's solo album!!!

This just in, from NME.com:

Pete Doherty begins recording solo album
The Babyshambles man has entered the studio
13 minutes ago
Pete Doherty has started recording his debut solo album.As previously reported on NME.com, the Babyshambles frontman has recorded a new track, 'Darksome Sea' with producer Jake Fior. Fior has since explained to NME.COM that the song will appear on Doherty's forthcoming solo album."The recording is intended for Pete's solo project," Fior said. "He has asked me to make that record and I have agreed.The producer went on to reveal that Doherty's record will feature 'Cuckoo 1440' - a song originally demoed by Babyshambles in November 2006 - and "a group of Pete's tracks that haven't been finalised."You can see Fior and Doherty's 'Darksome Sea' recording session by clicking on the video below. Fior or Doherty have not announced any schedule for the recording or release of the rest of the album.

May I say I'm extremely excited about all this???

What's the best Libertines song ever?

NME writer Jamie Fullerton asks THE QUESTION in his blog. I agree with Anthony Thornton, who says The Good Old Days is his fave.

"It was the last song they ever played together at Club Infinity and it's probably the closest to an equal two-hander they ever recorded. It's got the best lyric they ever wrote: ‘If you've lost your faith in love and music, then the end won't be long.’ It always inspires the biggest emotional outpouring from fans every time it’s played, but particularly at the Tap ‘N’ Tin reunion gig, the last Libs show and the Pete and Carl reunion at Hackney. Each of them had people sobbing."

The NME again announces the release of a new Babyshambles DVD next week. The DVD will come as part of the limited edition CD of Shotter's Nation, the new album by the band. It will feature a 40-minute track-by-track interview with the band, as they discuss the album. There is also live footage of the band’s gig at the Boogaloo Bar in London earlier this year.
The live tracks are as follows: 'UnBiloTitled,' 'There She Goes,' ‘Pipedown,’ 'Delivery' and 'Baddie's Boogie.'

In the meantime the NME has reviewed Shotters giving the album a 8/10 rating (if I'm not mistaken it was the same rating they gave to Down in Albion and to Waterloo to Anywhere, even though they're now dismissing them both).

Listen to Shotters now!

Here.

The sweet Adam has been talking a bit off his ass in the last days. But here's the second part of the Teletext interview where he does the good boy.

Babyshambles: it IS a band By John Earls

To an extent, it must be a hard life being in Babyshambles. Half the public regard them just as “Pete Doherty’s hired help junkies”. How does drummer Adam Ficek feel about their public perception?

"It’s annoying, but the only way to turn that round is to make a great record,” he says. “We’ve done that, and now we’ve got to make people aware what a good live band we are.”

One of the reasons the band are playing a huge arena tour in November is to remind people of the band’s status.

"It’s a statement of confidence,” says Adam. “We’ve let people down by cancelling gigs before. This is us saying that those days are over, that we know we can’t muck about any more. We prefer intimate venues, but this shows that we’re popular enough to play them, and that we’re good enough too.”

The arena tour is a far cry from last year, when the band were dropped by Rough Trade that May.

"They offered Peter a solo deal, but not one with Babyshambles,” says Adam. "That was really disappointing and insulting. We were drifting at that point, as we didn’t have a manager. In a way, it would have been easier to go under. None of us wanted to, and the only answer was for me to manage us.”

Adam admits it was a nightmare trying to manage Babyshambles at the same time as being their drummer.

"The low point was a gig in Leeds, when the other three and our tour manager had gone missing,” he recalls. "The venue staff were asking where our merchandise was, and I didn’t have a clue. It was two hours before I was due on stage and I thought ‘How the hell am I meant to do a good gig like this?’”

Now with proper management and Pete making a concerted effort to get clean, Babyshambles have never looked rosier.

"Peter can take care of business on drugs,” says Adam. “But of course it’s easier when he isn’t - the arrests and the court cases have made it hard for us to find time to write as a band. We’re planning the next album, and it’ll be the first one where we’ve had time to properly rehearse songs.”

Adam admits the negative press has made him less trustful around strangers.

"I can spot wasters in a second,” he says. “We know there are certain ex-friends who make a nice living selling stories about Peter to the tabloids, who are willing to be their ‘sources’. Of course, they’re prone to plucking stories out of the air too. ‘Doherty to be Shane MacGowan’s flatmate’ was my favourite. At least that one’s funny!”

Delivery highest new entry

As previously announced by the band's manager yesterday, Delivery has entered the singles chart at n. 6 (highest new entry).

A hopeful piece of news was also given by a national tabloid, concerning Peter's current state, but of course I'm not reporting it.

Oh and you might have noticed we skipped our journey through the past this weekend. I think the Best Of has turned me off enough, but we'll be back next week.

Two little interviews

The first is a video from NME.com, featuring Peter and Drew (here).

The second is a chat with Mik and Adam from Teletext:

Babyshambles are delivering
By John Earls -

"We had to make a proper album this time. We couldn't do another quirky indie record."

Babyshambles are about to release new album Shotter's Nation. As Delivery indicates, it's an ideal riposte to those who claim they're washed up.

"We knew after Down In Albion got a kicking we had to prove people wrong," says Adam Ficek. "We had to deliver an undeniably great album, and we have."

A large part of the new album's focus is down to new producer Stephen Street.

"He made us work regular hours, 11am to 8pm," says drummer Adam. "I was all in favour - I'm organised, or at least I am compared to the others! It was tough for the first week, until they realised that it made the music better. Before, we'd book a studio and come in when we felt like it, so we'd only get stuff done in bits and pieces."

Many Babyshambles demos were online before making the album, but Adam says few of those were of proper songs.

"There were 30 ideas, but hardly any songs," he explains. "Peter had great verses, which needed fleshing out. Stephen helped by not putting up with any nonsense. He'd tell Peter 'That lyric could be better', and he made Peter re-do vocals for a whole day, which had never happened to us before."

New guitarist Mik Whitnall also helped influence Shotter's Nation.

"Mik is in tune with Peter, neither of them have obvious influences," explains Adam. "Mik's a big ska fan, and Peter is into '60s garage and psychedelia. I'm into techno myself. That comes over more on this record. By the time Albion came out, people were tiring of that Libertines sound, and we should have known that, really."

It's the question that always has to be asked of Pete Doherty: how is he?

"He's well, he really is," says Adam. "It'd be naive of me to say he'll never take drugs again. But, honestly, I've never known him want to give up more than he is right now. He went through the motions with rehab before. This is the first time I've heard Peter say that he's determined to stick with rehab and get clean."

Why is Pete sticking with rehab now?

"Because he knows he'll go to prison if he doesn't," Adam admits. "That really has shaken Peter into making an effort. And age has a lot to do with it, I think. He's in his late 20s and he's been on hard drugs a long time. He's bored of them, he knows that to be the artist he's capable of they're not good for him. And whatever the tabloids say, his art matters most to Peter".

One more thing about the infamous Best Of and then I'll close the case. Look what the NME asks about the release of the album (commenting an old photo of the pre-bracket Libertines): "The Arcadian dream turns sour? The Libertines announce a 'best of' album - perhaps just money to support Pete's drug habits and Carl's disastrous new band?".

(Represses chortle) No comment.

One good thing and one not so good thing

Gigwise reviewed Shotters and gave it 4,5/5 stars (that's the good thing).

The NME is announcing this:

The Libertines to release new album next month
Band to release Best Of - and NME.COM has the tracklisting

NME.COM can exclusively reveal that the Libertines will release a 'best of' compilation album next month - and we have managed to get hold of full details of the record's tracklisting.

The album will be called 'Time For Heroes - The Best Of The Libertines' and will be released on October 29.

The full tracklisting is:

'Up The Bracket'

'Time For Heroes'

'Mayday'

'Don't Look Back Into The Sun'

'Tell The King'

'What Katie Did'

'Can't Stand Me Now'

'What A Waster'

'The Delaney'

'Boys In The Band'

'Death On The Stairs'

'I Get Along'

'What Became Of The Likely Lads'

This is a not so good thing, at least to me. I assume Rough Trade is jumping on the bandwagon, seeing that Babyshambles are releasing a probable Top 5 album and have a huge arena tour in sight, but does it have any sense? Remember that:

1. The Libertines have only released 2 albums so far (a bit paltry for a best of isn't it?)

2. A compilation of unreleased material pre-first break up is going to be released by the end of the year (the much anticipated "The Arcadian Dream")

3. Their spin off bands are in full flight, particularly Peter's (at least at the moment). How good can this be for Babyshambles?

4. What kind of crackhead can conceive a best of the Libertines without their masterpiece, which is fucking Good Old Days???

Oh well. As for the promotion, at the end of October Peter will be busy with Shotters and Carl will be busy with... ghostbusters. I predict a flop.

NME blogger about Peter's secret influence

Slightly ironic piece by NME blogger Paul Stokes about who the real influence behind Pete Doherty is:

Pete Doherty's secret influence
20/09/07 10:30:04 am
by Paul Stokes
"There’s been a lot of talk about the influences behind Babyshambles’ new album ‘Shotter’s Nation’. Does ‘Delivery’ rip off The Kinks (maybe a little). Was it really Graham Coxon’s guitar playing that encouraged Pete Doherty to recruit producer Stephen Street (it was).
However one massive influence seems to have been missing in discussion of the album, and Pete’s career so far – Oasis.
The stadium-filling Mancs might seem to jar with the surprise gigs at The Boogaloo Bar favoured by Babyshambles and The Libertines, but from the bigger sound of their new album, to the anthemic qualities of songs like ‘Albion’, ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ and ‘Time For Heroes’, the hand of Gallagher has never been to far away.
Firstly, both Pete and Noel Gallagher are huge fans of The La's, so it follows that they would share something musically, and the Oasis man’s solo tracks like ‘Sad Song’ or 'Half The World Away’ share a spirit with Pete’s acoustic moments, notably second album closer 'The Lost Art Of Murder'.
Then there was this clip which surfaced on YouTube of Eddie Temple Morris interviewing the aspiring singer for MTV when he was queuing up to buy an Oasis album in the late 90s, which revealed Pete was more than just a casual listener - he was a solid fan.
All interesting factors, but this week the dots have really been joined.
If you check the inside back cover of this week’s NME, you'll see a shot of Pete from 2000 – pre-Libertines – which our wonderful photographer Jo McCaughey snapped in Camden Market. She wasn’t actually snapping Pete, just people hanging around, and didn’t think anything of it until she saw the snap again recently and realised who it was.
As an insight into Pete’s influences it’s amazing. Wearing a cap, wire thin glasses and a sharp mod suit the initial reaction is that the Babyshambles man is trying to be John Lennon.
However, think about the timing and what Liam Gallagher was up to around then and it’s clearly the Oasis frontman who is not only a musical influence, but a sartorial icon for the young Libertine.
It’s a real shame then that all bridges were burned between the two camps after Babyshambles failed to turn up to support Oasis at a couple of their arena shows in 2005, as who knows, a Pete and Noel collaboration (just like when Noel was the young buck collaborating with his icon Paul Weller) might have been on the cards.
I’m now spending the day looking for more examples of Oasis’ influence on Pete – if you spot any post them below – but suddenly Babyshambles' forthcoming UK arena tour makes a whole lot more sense…"

Meanwhile, I must say that with Peter still in rehab and Carl catching UFOs in Santa Monica, California (USA) I'm starting to experience a mild libertine-cold turkey. But actually I still have to buy my copy of Delivery...

Delivery in the Top Ten?

From NME.com:

Official mid-week UK chart predictions reveal that 'Delivery', the new single by Babyshambles is heading for a top ten place in the singles' chart. Currently, the track is at the Number Nine slot based on downloads alone, but is at Number Seven with physical CD and seven-inch vinyl sales included. However, as many Babyshambles fans may have bought the single early in the week, there is no guarantee that 'Delivery' will be one of the ten best sellers when Sunday's final chart is revealed. Check back on NME.COM at 19:00 BST on Sunday (September 23) to find out where 'Delivery' finally charts.

While you're waiting, enjoy the photo above, portraying a young Pete Doherty at Camden Market back in 2000 (thanks to UpTheHinge).

Don't look back into the Star

The Daily Star is strangely reporting about the lovely Drew’s next solo adventure (the pic in the article is Peter’s of course, let’s not forget who they are REALLY interested in!!! ):

PETE DOHERTY’S Baby-shambles bassist Drew McConnell is making an album with Albert Hammond Jr, Fionn Regan and Seb Rochford.
The Strokes guitarist, the Mercury Prize-nominated Irish singer and the occasional Babyshambles drummer make for an interesting mix.Fionn, 25, and Seb, who went to the same secondary school as me, were both up for the Merc this year – Fionn for his own record and Seb with Basquiat Strings, while 27-year-old Albert’s been promoting his solo debut. A total of four tracks are in the bag.Excited Drew said about working with these names: “I’m still pinching myself.”Babyshambles new single Delivery is out this week.

Another shamblette, the sweet Adam, will forgive me if I cut and paste his last message to French Dog Writtles, but it’s so full of optimism and hope that I can’t help it (in any case, Adam, don’t worry about this place because I’m not uploading anything albeit being a strong supporter of illegal downloading!).
Went down to visit [Peter] yesterday, out of all the times I have seen him in rehab, I have never, ever seen him in such a lucid determined state. Obviously none of us know what the future holds, but for the first time since I have known him there has been a drastic change in his mind-set, and he can actually envisage a time when he's drug free. Whether or not this time is the final time, who knows, but I can honestly say something has changed for the better in Peter's approach to his life, drugs and babyshambles. Now go and buy Delivery and stop putting stuff up for download. x FICEK

Ahem… the Scottish lot, the View… the band who’s supporting some of the Babyshambles Arena Tour dates… they have recorded a cover of Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. I haven’t listened to it (that song is too precious to me) but I know about people having fits at the only thought. And I almost like some of the View’s things.

As for the Conspiracy Theory, oh I know what’s going on, likely lads, but I don’t talk about those things here. No way.

The Observer and Darksome Sea. Oh and...

Five stars to Shotters from British newspaper "The Observer". Although the review is slightly questionable it's a good achievement for a band like Babyshambles, mainly famous in the mainstream world for tabloid headlines and unlikely frequentations. Now there's a good chance the album could give the guys their first number 1 (and maybe some sold out dates to the much discussed Arena Tour).

The NME has put on line another unreleased song recorded by Pete Doherty together with Pete Wolf, entitled "Darksome Sea", and you can watch the related video too (here).

Still in the NME HQs, there's a whole chapter of "Bound Together" downloadable for free here. I was sure all the Libertines buffs in the world had already got their copy of the book but it seems I was wrong (as it often happens). So, if you haven't read "The Sad and Joyful Adventures of Pete& Carl" yet, that's something for you. Sounding bitter? No, "Bound Together" is an amazing book and Anthony Thornton is a top guy (and Sargo's photos are unique). Just how much has been told and how much has been hidden under the carpet, well, that's another story, and that's just me. The downloadable chapter is (rather predictably) that of Pete's release from gaol and the famous Tap'n'Tin reunion gig.

Talking about things under the carpet, and last but not least, from Calafornia, Alan McPee, sorry McFee, informs us that all is doing well in Dirty Pretty Things camp, i.e. recording studio, and they have already written a good set of songs, very "melodic". Great. Why they need 3 months (or 4) to record them, that's beyond me, but Sundays always get me in ranting mood, so bear with me.

Looking back into the sun: Photo of the month

Peter: "John, John, what the fuck is Carl doing??? It's the time for his solo!!!"
Carl: "gurglemmmjustamomentbilommumbleamalmostreadygurglegurgle"

John: "Don't I look outrageously hot in this tshirt?"

Shambles back in the studio and...

From Gigwise:

Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek has revealed that the band have gone back into the studio to record some new b-sides.
Posting on his blog, Ficek said that the band are working with the same producer that collaborated with them on last year’s, ‘The Blinding’ EP.
According to the drummer, the tracks that the band are currently demoing are: ‘Jumping bean,’ ‘I Don't Know That Man,’ ‘Fixing Up (To Go),’ ‘Fireman,’ ‘Revelations,’ ‘Velvet Untitled’ and ‘Maybeline.’

In the meantime, check this awesome post in Anthony Thornton's NME blog (showing also a Pete/Wolfman old video).

As for the other half of the Albionites, the only piece of news we have from Hollywood is that the mighty Carlos has been spotted at the Hot Hot Heat's new album launch gig at the Cinespace Club, two days ago. Not even the dreaded frinkers have managed to find a photo so far... (kidding).

The usual moment of nostalgia will follow later.

NME TV: Babyshambles and Albert Hammond Jnr in the studio

Drew, Jamie from Noisettes and Albert Hammond Jr recording an exclusive track for Love Music Hate Racism.

Babyshambles: The NME interview

OK, done. Good read.

It's difficult being a bit-player in your best mate's life. Having to stand alongside the gawpers, watches as he rocks along, your relationshop finally dissolving as your friend is transformed into that most untouchable thing, a star. Babyshambles have long ago been written off by the general press as a medium within which Pete Doherty can disintegrate, a place where the ramblings of a tragic figure are thrown against the wall like blood on a canvas. At best, the band are opportunists; at worst, they're stooges in Pete's downfall. "The press doesn't have a clue" says Drew McConnell "The negative perception of us all is definitely wrong. All they see is Pete getting nicked and the drugs, which are half-truths, but they don't realise that there is music as well. Is it stressful? Not compared to a real job. I'm in the best rock'n'roll band in the world with a gambling addict, an ex-skinhead and a press demon. Why would I find it stressful?"
Babyshambles' long-standing bassist is sitting in a Camden boozer with drummer Adam Ficeck (gambling addict) and guitarist Mik Whitnall (ex-skinhead). the tabloid demon, though, is missing. Pete Doherty is recuperating in rehab, awaiting trial just days later - a trial which saw him return to rehab yet again. In his absence Mik, Drew and Adam are the ones keeping his empire alive. Rather than the sleazy wolfmen they first seemed in the days of the Libs, these are the motleytroops fighting Pete's corner. They are bothe his loyal gang of misfit libertinesa and his put-upon family, sadly watching their brother in peril. And of course, sticking up for him.
"Pete's life is crazy" continues Drew "but people blow it out of proportion. John Lennon was a fucking psychopath; he'd get pissed and smash people's houses up and hit women. If you read biographies of people like him or Miles Dvais or James Brown... these guys make Peter look like Mother Teresa, but it wasn't reported on as much. That thing is, that shit doesn't matter. John Lennon made some amazing records, James Brown made somw amazing records and Peter made some amazing records and he's gonna make some more".
He's got a point. Close this magazine [NME], pull the seven-inch off and sprint towards the nearest record player. After years of chaos, it seems as though Babyshambles are finally more than a confused junkie's band. In fact, right now there's an agreement in the NME office that "Shotter's Nation" is one of the best albums of the year. But, just as the music has come together, Pete's love triangle with the tabloids and the police has reappeared to cast a shadow over all that these men have worked for.
"It always gets in the way, doesn't it?" shrugs a sad looking Adam Ficeck "The worst thing is that you get a bit numb to it beacuse it happens all the time. You can't stay emotionally entwined with it - you have to stay detached. Sometimes someone will tell me he's been inside for a couple of days and I didn't even know. It's hard to keep in touch".
"Eighty per cent of the time though it's the best gig ever" grins Mik, whose hook-heavy guitar is a significant part of this rebirth. "I have seen some dark shit with these boys. Sometimes I'll get depressed thinking that I've done it all, and then Pete will take me out and I'll end up on a donkey or something".
Drew pipes up: "I don't want life to be a flatline. I don't want to get up and go to do a job - that's what being in Razorlight must be like. We have peaks and valleys. we're sometimes really depressed and sometimes the four happiest guys in tne world".
Riding along the most extreme story in 21st century British rock'n'roll, it's a testament to Pete's ever-swelling balck hole of press attention (as well as the fact that it's his "downfall" that interests hacks rather than his music) that Drew, Mick and Adam remain so anonymous to all beyond the Albion Rooms.
"We're never really mentioned in the press, which is a blessing" says Drew "What I find a worry is that there are people around the band who can easily dig into the Bayshambles thing for money - like that photo of Mik with a shotfun".
Mik nods "Yeah, this dwarf from the Seychelles I know sold it to The Sun. They made my teeth all black and put a rash around my mouth".
"It was a mint photo though" laughs Drew "But nah, we normally keep out of it. Apparently though if we get pulled over by police and give our names, it comes up that we're in Babyshambles".
Really? So Babyshambles are listed as a criminal group?
"Once I left my phone on We Are Scientist's bus" Drew continues "They got pulled over by the cops and when they found it and discovered it was mine they turned the van over. We get this because people demonise Pete, but it's so misplaced. There are so many genuine villains that are out there. I mean, there's Bush, there's Blair, there's fucking murderers".
"It's weird in the press" nods Mik "It's always like: Save Amy. Kill Pete. Now we all know Amy [Winehouse] and she's great, but I've seen her lose it too. They were hoping that Pete was going to die by the time he was 27 - maybe it's been 10 years since thay had one of them. The illuminati's big wheels might be in motion, who knows?".
"Papers want any stories" says Drew "and the problem with this band is that there are so many hangers-on. You get people who are claiming to be Peter's 'bodyguard', meaning leech, claiming he shagged, er, Amy [Winehouse] was it? You get a lot of people who you think are mates and you can trust, and when they realise they can make a couple of grand from talking shit and stabbing their mates in the back then they go and do it".
"Pete moved around a lot when he was a kid, like me" says Mik "It meant he had to make friends quick. I don't know if it's anything to do with that, but he's really open and really trusting. When Pete went to prison once, I phoned one of his 'new best friends' to say 'Look mate, Pete's gone away', and he's like 'What am I gonna do for money?'. What a dick".
Can't you just intervene? Kick out the people you know are rotten?
"It's not as easy as that" says Adam.
"The thing is" Drew nods "opinions vary within the camp".
"They [people at fault] know who they are though" says Mik sagely.
The thing is, for all the rehab help that Pete will ever get, it'll be the people around him, his real friends... This band who will be the people he can realy on. But would they ever give up on him?
"No" shrugs Drew "I don't think we'd ever have to".
"How could you give up on a mate?" shrugs Mik.
But what if, after everything that's happened, he finally went down?
"Well" Drew pauses "the we'd just wait for him to come out. And when he did we'd start making amazing music again".

More from the Shamblettes

A few cute pics from the NME (I hope I'll be able to type the interview in the next hours). Adam posted a brief message to French Dog Writtles claiming that Pete's doing great (we're happy to hear that).

People who live in London might be interested to know the glorious Mick Whitnall is dee-jaying tonight at The Dublin Castle, in support of his brother's band, The Subjects. No surprise guest is expected to turn up (kidding).

The NME is out

The new issue of the New Musical Express is out and, as announced a few weeks ago, it features a vinyl with an acoustic version of Delivery on one side and an interview with Babyshambles on the other side. Plus, NME talks to the rest of Babyshambles. There's also an article on Dirty Pretty Things, Bloc Party and Kate Nash recording the anti-racist album.

A few things here and there

With Peter still (allegedly) in rehab and DPT in (alleged) exile, there's not much to talk about. Yes yes, the toothless "attacks" from some geriatric rockstars. Yes yes, that other idiocy circulating in the net. No, no, we're not interested. Are we?

But Delivery is starting to get reviews. For what it's worth, let's have a look at them. The first is from Drowned in Sound (by one Alex Denney):

Like England's dependably useless football team, Pete Doherty has been excused for far too long by now. The blissful shot that Up The Bracket imparted to a British music scene still reeling from the first Strokes record has been followed by a series of increasingly rotten highs, to the point where seeking to replicate the thrill feels more like chasing shadows than chasing the dragon. But, just as our national side's unflaggingly stray passes have a weird habit of pea-rolling their way into this reviewer’s affections, so each attempt to assert a bit of willpower and finally turn my back on Babyshambles for good inevitably gives way to a fit of baseless optimism with every underwhelming new release.
Rather predictably, 'Delivery', the first shot to issue forth from Babyshambles' Stephen Street-produced second album Shotter's Nation, is a game of two halves. The first, a wheezing, emphysemic rewrite of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' that's every bit as undernourished as its creator; the second, an unexpectedly lovely feint into melodic pop territory that strikes just the right redemptive note, echoing Doherty's wish that "this song might deliver me / straight from the harshness of misery". That one so abased is able to sing these lines while inhabiting an aural airspace that’s roughly the equivalent of having a mistreated puppy cling cowering to your trouser leg speaks volumes about the man's appeal: no genius he, just a chancer using his charm and gifts as a melodicist to conjure goodwill that should have run out millennia ago. Or, if you prefer, a selfish cunt who might yet come good with an experienced hand at the production desks. And for all its readily apparent flaws, 'Delivery' does not harm to that theory. Rating: 7

The second is from Audioscribbler (by Justin Melton Bradley):

Smug. That’s how I feel. Does the fact that Pete Doherty is a crack-happy toss sandwich mean he’s also not a musical genius? No, of course not. Have Babyshambles ever sounded anything like The Sex Pistols? No they fucking haven’t. Was 2005s Down in Albion one of the greatest albums ever made? Well no, I guess not. But it certainly wasn’t deserving of the poor reviews it got from the tabloid music press.Well now Babyshambles have returned with a decidedly more radio friendly single, Delivery which has shocked everyone. Well I don’t understand that. Whilst I know that no one actually buys EPs, last year’s The Blinding showcase how commercial the band could be. But Delivery is a top class track better than any of that material.Starting out like the Kinks’ You Really Got Me and continuing in an equally poppy manner throughout Doherty chants on about how much of a dick he is. “Now what use am I to anyone”, but luckily its far more uplifting when it comes to the chorus, which by now you should know off by heart. The second verse is about us, and by us I mean someone else, but importantly not about Doherty. One of the problems I had with The Blinding EP was how much Doherty felt sorry for himself. Delivery on the other hand is a deliberate deliverance from that kind of song writing. All that’s left now is to see the quality of the many b-sides that are due out. Rating: 9

And there's another good snippet: Delivery has topped the NME chart.

Check it out:

1. Babyshambles - Delivery

2 The White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)

3 Maximo Park - Girls Who Play Guitars

4 Kaiser Chiefs - The Angry Mob

5 Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks

6 The Pigeon Detectives - Take Her Back

7 Jack Penate - Second, Minute Or Hour

8 Cajun Dance Party - Amylase

9 The Dykeenies - Stitches

10 The Enemy - You're Not Alone

Looking back into the sun: Video of the month

It's Friday and we have our weekly moment of nostalgia. This is a video from an episode of Later with Jools Holland, dated November 2002. The Libertines are on the rise, and play Up The Bracket. Peter sings and swings his head, Carl does his Johnny Marr bit, and a group of fans stand and watch, while the Queens of Noize do their crazy dance.
Get the handkerchiefs ready folks.

LMHR CD tracklist

As announced a few days ago, Love Music Hate Racism is releasing a CD to fight the BNP's inflitration in British schools, and Dirty Pretty Things and Babyshambles are both seriously involved in this project (the CD is curated by Drew McConnell). Alison, LMHR's ambassador in the Libertines camp, has posted the CD tracklist in the LHMR website. Here's her entire post:

The LMHR CD for schools, supported by the NUT, has drawn a fantastic response - with many top artists contributing exclusive tracks (see below). Even better, the NME have now come on board, meaning that the CD will be covermounted on their 13th October issue, and that nme.com will be hosting a LMHR minisite where a week after the mag comes out you can download all the tracks alongside information on fighting racism and fascism and on putting on your own LMHR event.
This special edition of the NME will feature a special LMHR-themed cover bringing together Lethal Bizzle, Babyshambles, Bloc Party, Dirty Pretty Things, The View and The Enemy, as well as feature articles about LMHR including a roundtable discussion with the artists on racism, the BNP and music.
Schools, colleges and other organisations can order bulk copies of empty LMHR CD sleeves in which your own pick of the tracks can be burned to CD after you’ve downloaded them from the website. The empty sleeves will also act as a flyer for LMHR and will be distributed in schools across the country.
Here’s the 100% confirmed tracklisting, in alphabetical order, with one or two surprises still possible - it’s still tbc which will be on the NME cover CD and which will be exclusive download-only tracks:-
Akala (”Electro Livin’” exclusive track) Albert Hammond Jr. (”Cartoon Music For Super Heroes”) Babyshambles (”Stone Me What a Life! - exclusive track from new album sessions) Billy Bragg (”The Big Lie” exclusive track) Bloc Party (“Where is Home” - Diplo remix) Blood Red Shoes (exclusive track from album sessions) Carbon/Silicon (“The Network’s Going Down”, exclusive track) The Charlatans (exclusive track) Dirty Pretty Things (’9 Lives’, exclusive and specially-written track) Drew McConnell, Seb Rochford, Fionn Regan & Albert Hammond Jr. - ‘Ampersand’ (exclusive) The Enemy (’Fear Killed The Youth of A Nation’ tiny-indie-release b-side of 1st single) Johnny Flynn (’Cold Bread’ - exclusive track) Get Cape Wear Cape Fly (exclusive live track from LMHR Glastonbury 2007 show) Hard Fi (exclusive remix of track from new LP) Hardkaur (’Hype’, exclusive) Lethal Bizzle (exclusive remix of “Babylon’s Burning Up The Ghetto”) Maximo Park (exclusive live track “Nose Bleed”) Mecca 2 Medina (track TBC) M.I.A. (track TBC) Natty (exclusive unreleased track) Noisettes (’Shame’ – exclusive) Fionn Regan (’Campaign Button’ - Hidden track on current LP) Roll Deep (’Racist People” exclusive remix) Skream (’Chest Boxing’, exclusive track) Statik (’Summer Nights’ - exclusive track The View (“Fireworks and Flowers” - exclusive).

More from Alison: "There’s also going to be some nice bits of film of the artists on the nme/lmhr mini site. And that *is* an exclusive!"

The Lost Art of Murder to download

This is great, check it out (from Times on line):

This autumn sees the release of Babyshambles new album, Shotter's Nation, you can get your first listen here, exclusively on Times Online.
Come back tomorrow when we're offering you the opportunity to download - for free - the track from their upcoming album, which won't be available to buy until October 1 2007.
A stripped-back affair featuring Pete Doherty backed by folk legend Bert Jansch on guitar, The Lost Art of Murder, is the gentle sound of one of Britain's most unique musical talents finally living up to his potential. Consider yourselves very lucky.

Peter: the Q interview

I managed to nick some time off the office work to type this interview published in the September issue of Q. It's a good read. Photo scanned by LoveCuts.

PETE DOHERTY - THE LOST BOY
by Simon Goddard
Q Magazine, september 2007

Equal parts self-mythologising waster and Byronic romantic, Pete Doherty is the most influential British songwriter of the past five years. Arriving with the Libertines in 2002, he juxtaposed William Blake-esque visions of Albion with 21st-century squalor, reclaiming British guitar music and paving the way for everyone from Razorlight to Arctic Monkeys.
Today, Doherty fronts Babyshambles and his private life is a tabloid soap opera. The day before Q interviewed him, news broke that he'd ended his on-off relationship with supermodel Kate Moss and was living in a caravan beneath a dual carriageway. But today, Thursday 5 July 2007, it's business as usual: business being a secret Babyshambles show in North London pub The Boogaloo. He arrives a mere two hours late, carrying a guitar, a beautiful young girl with a dark bobbed haircut in tow. He immediately stalks over to greet barely alive Pogues singer Shane McGowan, the Boogaloo's resident barfly who's already fallen off his stool twice this afternoon, before disappearing to the flat upstairs. Five minutes later, Q is invited to join him in a cramped living room. The mystery girl is also there. She smiles but says nothing, even after I introduce myself. Doherty, meanwhile, falls over an armchair trying to close the curtains, presumably lest prying paparazzi snap him. He eventually settles, trilby hat on, a salection of necklaces swinging atop a black shirt. What looks like a plastic elephan earring bobs beside his neck whenever he moves. His fingers are grubby, his left hand wrapped in black gaffer tape. His skin is blotchy and clammy. His eyes are wide, pupils like dinner plates. His voice is so feeble, at times it's like talking to an asthmatic on a ventilator.

What was the first song you ever wrote?
Honestly? It's dead embarassing. Billy The Hamster.
How old were you?
Twenty-one (smiles). No, about 12. I just wrote it in my head.
About a real hamster called Billy?
No, I wasn't allowed one. I think I was promised a hamster, so I went and bought the cage and the sawdust and all the things, hoping that they'd get the hint and buy me a hamster. By the time they did, I was a bit old. And anyway, its name was Reindeer.
Was that when you realised that you could write songs?
Er... (bats eyelids vacantly) dunno.
When did you start playing guitar then?
I picked up guitar quite late. About 16 or 17. I just hammered away at it fow two or three years, not really getting anywhere. Then I bumped into Carl (Barat). Just sat at his feet, gobsmacked. Just taking it in and drawing on that, really.
What point did you start to think you were any good?
Maybe when I was getting the same feeling from things that I wrote that I was getting from other people's songs. Albion. When I wrote Albion, probably.
Do you write every day?
I dunno if I write well every day, but I write every day. I have to. Normally I just flick on one of these things (points to Q's dictaphone) or a laptop.Just playing and playing and then a month or two later I'll listen back to what I've done and think, "Fucking hell. There's something in there somewhere".
Your songs don't come fully formed then?
Not always. Sometimes they can gestate for years.
What about lyrics - is it a case of grabbing a pen and writing on anything when the moment strikes?
Yeah. Me leg's been covered in biro many a time (rolls up trouser leg revealing pale, hairy skin but no biro). But I'm quite precious about my writing. Like, I've got scrap and things... (gets up and scrambles over to retrieve a notebook from his satchel, then sits back down and opens a book at page with a couple of spider scrawls) This started with me going (sings a cappella) "Torn torn torn torn. Torn torn torn torn" (stops singing) That's all I had for ages and then... (grabs guitar from side of chair and proceeds to sing and strum) "Torn torn torn torn. Da dee, dah dah" (stops playing). And then I'll play it to somebody and say, "Hey, listen to this, it's an old Velvet Underground song". I pretend someone else has written it. And then I go, (resumes singing) "Torn torn torn torn / Torn torn torn torn / Torn between two lives / La la la... (membles something about a ghost ship) Torn, da dee dah dah".
Is environment important when writing?
You think it's important at the time. You think, "This place is dull, I gotta get outta here". And then you look back and think, "Actually that was the right place to be".
Like prison?
Well, that was ideal because there was nothing else to do. Literally, it's just you and a pen and paper.
Is songwriting a catharsis for all the chaos in your life?
A lot of the songs I haven't used, or tend to get embarassed by, I'd say were, but I think my most successful songs are ones that are pure fiction, really. Taking a small idea from reality and telling a story. That's when people get paranoid and say "Why did you write that? That's about me". I'd say "No, no, no. It's just a song". My famous last words. "It's just a song and it's not about anyone".
So you've written some songs so personal that you've chosen to hide them?
I wouldn't say hide, I just don't think the outside world has anything to gain by them.
Do you live your songs or sing your life?
Well, take What A Waster. Line by line, verse by verse, every line of that began to ring true over time. But when I first wrote it I was a clean-living lad, to be honest.
It became a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Completely, yeah.
Are drugs a help or a hindrance to you as a songwriter?
I'd sayd drugs are an alternative to songwriting. It's something else to do rather than playing guitar. Sit down and have a pipe instead. It's not conductive to concentrating and playing and singing.
So whenever you write, you're always straight?
Erm... it's not really a conscious thing. But I tend to not get a lot done when I'm battered.
Does it bother you that the tabloid circus surrounding you continually detracts from your works as a songwriter?
It would worry me if I thought about it. But I can't afford to think about it. I care an awful lot about what people think about my songs, but I'm not interested in their opinions of me personally.
Audience reaction is important to you?
It started off as the be all and end all of songwriting. Wanting to find the audience and crave it. For a long time it was such a pipe dream. It seemed there was no way in the world we were ever going to get a crowd. And then we reached a point where the crowd were singing the songs back to us and it became to be all and end all again. Like "I can't wait to play this song to a crowd". There's nothing worse that when people say to me, "Oh I really liked what you used to do, what you're doing now is alright". But I know I wouldn't carry on writing unless I could maintain standards.
You've not peaked yet?
No, I'd say the record that's coming out this year (Babyshambles' second album) has got the best songs I've ever written.
It's five years since the Libertines' debut...
Is it? (eyes widen). Fucking hell.
...and since then bands like Arctic Monkeys and The View have followed. Are you aware how influential you've been?
I dunno... (frowns) Arctic Monkeys are quite special. I don't see too much of the Libertines in them. I think they'd have along anyway. I've had to swallow my ego and admits they're a good band.
Can you communicate better though song than you can in real life?
(Still talking about Arctic Monkeys) That's a comment on them as songwriters not as people. Cos they wouldn't let us stand by the side of the stage and watch them at Glastonbury.
As I was saying, can you communicate better through song than you can in real life?
Yeah. That's the only way I can communicate successfully. Like you can say to a girl, "Can I kiss you?" and she'll say "Well, no". But maybe in two and a half minutes (she'll see) what's come from inside. Although it's drawn, and it might be fictional, it's not really false, if you know what mean? It's not like someone might hear a song and say, "I wanna kiss that person because they wrote that song". But you never know. There might be be someone out there (like that).
So songwriting is your means of finding love?
Hmm... (grimace) I thought so, but really the one or two people that I thought I was in love with, they've never really been big fans of my music. In a way it's good because you know that they're not with you just because they like your music, but it's sad. Everything you do at a certain time in your life, no matter what the song's about, all the energy is really directed towards that one person. Whatever that was for Carl. Or for Kate. Or for someone else I fell in love with.
Kate didn't actually like your songs?
No. It was always a bit of a choker.
Is sadness a good muse?
Even if I'm feeling blank or not particualrly feeling happy or sad, suddenly a song will come out and it'll suddenly occur to me that's how I really feel. It's better than any therapy or any conversation. You just hit something on the head and it captures a mood. Like Well I Wonder by the Smiths. I used to put that on, especially the 7-inch (it was the b-side of How Soon Is Now) where you'd hear all the crackles and then the drumbeat and then... (starts to hum Well I Wonder). Just that mood.
Your new song, The Lost Art Of Murder. Was that inspired by George Orwell's Decline Of The English Murder?
Yeah, yeah! (eyes popping out of his head) Fuck! That's what I meant to call it but I couldn't remember the Orwellian bent on it.
Literature is still a big influence on your songs?
Yeah. Titles are almost the be all and end all of the song. I've got reams and reams of scribbled titles that have never been used. I'm always checking them. 32nd Of December, I had that as a title for so long. It's had so many shapes and sizes and curlies. I could have a whole album of 32nd Of Decembers.
What's the perfect song?
It all depends on the time of the day and what you're wearing.
Right now, what song would that be?
We'll Meet Again (adopts barmy Irish accent). You can never fail with the G to the D7, now.
Do you know the Number 1 song on 12 March 1979, when you were born?
I do. I Will Survive (by Gloria Gaynor).
Is it fitting?
(Shrugs, smiles)
How long do you think you'll continue writing?
As long as the person you want to kiss doesn't want to kiss you , then there's always room for another song. I'm not trying to kiss you, by the way. But you've got quite nice teeth.
Thanks.
You've gone red, mate.
Would you be happy if your gravestone read simply, "Pete Doherty, Songwriter"?
That's just a fantasy, though?
It might happen.
I dunno. That is fantasy stuff. I'd love that. It's like a craft, songwriting. Medieval. Traditional. It'd be the ultimate accolade.
So, what's your secret?
Er... (stares at the ceiling) Being lost. Gettng lost and then not being able to ask the way. As my nan always used to say, "As long as you've got that (grabs his tongue), then you can't get lost".
Our chat ends when Doherty is summoned to start his soundcheck in the bar below. Before going, he shakes my hand and asks if I'll write something in his notebook. I agree on condition he scribbles something in mine. We swap notebooks. In his, I draw a set of dentures, sign my name and add, "Not such nice teeth, really". An hour later, long after we've said goodbye, I finally check what he's written. It begins with a quote from another Smiths song, Rubber Ring. "Don't forget the songs that made you cry... that line always made me well up. Love, Pete".

DPT at the Boogaloo

Thanks a lot to Mary, who went to see Dirty Pretty Things at the Boogaloo last night and took some beautiful pictures (above). Apparently it was a short gig and not many people were there, not even all the members of the band. Kidding, but not too much. Actually it seems Anthony is already in the States, where he had to mind personal business. However, Mary assures she had a great time all the same. Anthony was replaced by a blond long haired geezer nobody knows anything about (if somebody does give us a sign).

The gig was organized to launch an exhibition of photos of the band taken by photographer Roger Sargent. The exhibition, entitled "Come Closer: Dirty Pretty Things as seen by Roger Sargent", will continue at The Boogaloo in Highgate, London, until 4 October.

Setlist: Come Closer, Deadwood, Bloodthirsty bastards, France (Carl said "This is the last time I wil play this") and Bang Bang You're Dead.

Babyshambles - Delivery Behind The Scenes

This is amazing

We're glad to hear that Pete's trying to get clean again, and that his sentencing got postponed to 2 October. But as you know we don't like being involved in the Libertines' personal trouble , so after this brief hint I would like to publish here the last post on Mark Beaumont's blog on the NME site. Beaumont is a NME writer, who slagged Peter off recently, due to a missed interview, or something like that. But he's making up for that with this:

"It was a long time coming but today we saw a whole new personality leap out of the immoral morass they call Babyshambles. For Drew Babyshambles is the man behind the Love Music Hate Racism CD which will be appearing on the front of the NME in a few weeks' time.
And today I spent an enlightening few hours in the company of Drew, Kele Okereke, Lethal Bizzle, The View, Tom from The Enemy, Carl Barat and several spokespeople from the Love Music Hate Racism charity to discuss the issues thrown up by the fact that we suddenly have a serious responsibility to challenge the BNP.
The BNP, it turns out, have been making 'rock' CDs and handing them out outside schools in the interest of recruiting young kids to their way of thinking.
The BNP CD is full of hideous 'Oi' music and antiquated folk rubbish, everything they think is likely to appeal to the youth of today.
So there are not enough hats to take off to Drew and the other acts on the LMHR CD for realising that the best way to humiliate these idiots is by out-cooling them at their own game by getting the Likes of Bloc Party, Dirty Pretty Things and The Enemy to contribute to a far more credible CD in response.
Anyone reading this blog is intelligent enough to know that racism is beyond idiocy, but what we can't forget is that complacency lets in the extremists, so make your voice heard. Like Drew did. An extremely intelligent man doing what he can.
Inevitably, though, after the serious issues were tackled, drunkeness ensued.
After several pints in a pub near the photographic studio, half of the participants ended up in Carl's car to the Cuckoo Club where The Charlatans were playing a secret set for Alan McGee's Death Disco TV show.
The spirits flowed freely, leading to this writer:
* having a heart to heart with Alan about what a bloody great bloke Tony Wilson was even though I personally never met him.
* necking so much scotch I can barely type right now.
* having a see-who-can-hold-their-hand-in-the-freezing-bucket-of-ice-water-for-the-longest contest with Kyle from The View just after he'd played an incredible cover of The Beatles' 'I've Just Seen A Face' and just before he started leaping around on his chair screaming for The Charlatans to play 'Love Is The Key'.
We may have set the world to rights but my own personal world went oh so wrong...
Tonight's gig: The Charlatans @ Cuckoo ClubOn the iPod on the way to work: anti-fascist NME CD.

Mark Beaumont"

Breck Road Lover stands behind everything LMHR is doing and we can't wait to have the CD in our hands. A huge "BRAVO" to the lovely Drew, as usual.

More info about Shotters

This is the cover of the album and DVD which will be published on Oct 1.

Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Carry On Up The Morning
2. Delivery
3. You Talk
4. UnBiloTitled
5. Side Of The Road
6. Crumb Begging
7. Unstookie Titled
8. French Dog Blues
9. There She Goes
10. Baddies Boogie

Disc: 2

The Boogaloo Tapes
1. Delivery (Live At Boogaloo)
2. Baddies Boogie (Live At Boogaloo)
3. UnBiloTitled (Live At Boogaloo)
4. There She Goes (Live At Boogaloo)
5. Pipedown (Live At Boogaloo)

Delivery enters the NME chart

Highest new entry position for Babyshambles new single Delivery in this week's NME chart. Other new entries are Jack Penate and Cajun Dance Party.

The NME Chart is:

1. The White Stripes - 'You Don't What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)

2. Kaiser Chiefs - 'The Angry Mob'

3. Maximo Park - 'Girls Who Play Guitars'

4. Babyshambles - 'Delivery'

5. Peter, Bjorn & John - 'Young Folks'

6. The Pigeon Detectives - 'Take Her Back'

7. Hard-Fi - 'Suburban Knights'

8. Jack Penate - 'Second, Minute Or Hour'

9. The Enemy - 'You're Not Alone'

10. Cajun Dance Party - 'Amylase'

Razzcocks comes back in the picture

Watch his new website, now featuring a lovely footage from the early days of the Libertines.

But, cute videos aside, what's intriguing me most is this statement:

"Forget all the stuff you may have heard regarding the infamous lost album of the Libertines, including tracks like Legs 11 and all the dodgy, nicked free downloads. This is the home of THE ARCADIAN DREAM, 18 wonderful, embryonic songs of the unsigned Libertines, plus a bonus live recording and interview with GLR radio.

At this time negotiations are taking place for the release of this material... so please be patient (as I've been) and watch this space. Razzers".

Pete, Carl, John, Paul... negotiations are for crap politicians. We want that stuff NOW.