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.