This is a site dedicated to the Libertines and their offspring. News, interviews, reviews, articles, pictures, videos and exclusives right here from the troubled world of the Babyshambles and Dirty Pretty Things (and, why not, Yeti).

8/30/2008

Laut interviews Carlos


German site "Laut" has just published an interesting interview with the Mighty Carlos (alone, thank God). Translation by Myska.
"What became of the likely lads?"
That’s the question we wanted to get to the bottom off at the Motor im Grünen Festival in Berlin Spandau. Even just the arrival is a joy. Because our way to libertine-prinz Barat leads us through the courtyard of a renaissance castle in which later this afternoon the first bands are gonna play.
As soon as we’ve arrived in the catacombs of the castle, Carl saunters over to us. After a short introduction he asks us, if it’s possible to do the interview in his changing room. “You’re allowed to smoke there.”
No problem: The changing room of Dirty Pretty Things is a comfortable backstage room with sofas and a good selection of alcoholic beverages. Surprising, cause according to news stories Carl’s been off the booze since his collapse in June. He even went so far as forbidding alcohol to the whole band. It’s time to clear this up.
Q: Carl, I thought there was a ban on alcohol within the band. Is that true?
C: (Laughing) No! No! You should see the boys. It’s quite embarrassing actually. (Laughs)
Q: You’ve been hospitalised with acute pancriatitis in the middle of June. What happened?
C: Well, I was taking those pills for my headache. Actually, I was taking a whole lot of those. And after that I drank a huge amount of russian vodka. Alright, I’ve been drinking quite a lot recently, anyway. That knocked me out. And now I’m starting all over again.
Q: So you’re not drinking at all anymore?
C: I am, but not as much.
Q: I read that you said that the gigs are better, if there isnt any alcohol involved. Is that true?
C: I said that? (laughs) Well, no. To be honest, I’ve forgotten how the gigs were before - without booze. I dont mind. It doesnt really change all that much - the music is what’s important. But alcohol can be nice. The problem is, that I always just assumed that the crowd was as drunken as me. And I thought I’d be disappointing them, if I wasnt drunk.
Q: Let’s talk about the new record. Are you happy with it?
C: Hm. I believe so. (thinks) Yeah, I’m happy with it. It really reflects the time in which we were writing it.
Q: How is it different to ‘Waterloo To Anywhere’?
C: It’s a bit more heartrending. Some say, a bit too much. But in my eyes that’s not true.
Q: You recorded the album in Los Angeles. Why did you go there?
C: It’s cheaper than England.
Q: Did you like it?
C: No, it was horrible. We didnt live in Hollywood but in a district that looked like a concrete jungle.
Q: Is there another reason - except money - to record an album in LA and not in England?
C: Oh, we just wanted to get away from all the shit, to be honest. But after a certain time in LA we all went a bit crazy. We went into the desert - about two hours from LA.. like The Doors.
Q: Aha. And what did you do?
C: Well, we ate mushrooms and counted the moons in the sky (laughs). We just walked around a bit.
Q: After you recorded the album, you went to Spain for three weeks. I read you felt like a monk in a cell - just you and your guitar. What were you doing?
C: Haha. That sounds a bit corny. It could as well have been Alaska, that didnt really matter. Basically it was just me and the sky. I thought a lot and read a lot of books.
Q: What kind of books?
C: A lot of novels. I read a lot of Bukoswki only to figure out that I dont actually like Bukowski. You know, people write those long lists describing what they’re done. It’s boring. I dont want lists. I want a story. I really like Graham Greene’s ‘The End of the Affair’. That’s a really good book.
Q: One of your songs is called ‘Tired of England’. Have you been tired of England bebfore?
C: Yeah, sometimes. The people or ironically the English attitude.. oh, I can’t stop moaning. (laughs). I see England as one big organism.
Q: You once said that there’ll be a political storm in England soon. What did you mean?
C: Oh, I think I felt a bit like Nostradamus for a while. Well, music reflects the time and also the movements. You can be happy if you’ve got a voice that counts during a movement. To be part of it, it's great. But right now all we’ve got are small scenes. That can get really boring with time. I would welcome big movements.
Q: Can you describe such a movement?
C: I was thinking of the punk in the 70s. That was a movement. Or Oasis in the 90s.
Q: Do you think artists can change things? Politically?
C: I actually see an artists’ roll in expressing the collective awareness.
Q: You’re touring RASN at the moment. Where do you most enjoy playing?
C: I love playing in tiny clubs. Mostly it’s really exciting. Everyone’s getting together and you get some proper heat. The music on stage is mostly really loud, but also damn good. I love playing those little dirty clubs, where everyone just lives for that one fucking second. That’s what it is about.
Q: What do you guys like to do together, when you’re off stage?
C: We sit around a lot and play guitar, walk around or have a beer. I dont know. Some of the guys like watching movies. Mostly we’re just sitting around and talk bout various things.
Q: A lot of people are hoping for a Libertines reunion. Which band, who’s members are still alive, would you like to reunite?
C: They all have to be alive still? (thinks for a long time) That’s a damn difficult question. All the good ones are dead. Hmm.. Okay. They can be dead for all I care. Hm. The Velvet Underground. For the question before. And otherwise - The Beatles.
Q: Talking about reunions could you imagine working with Peter again?
C: Yeah! I mean, it would be hard work but yes, of course.
Q: How’s that relationship at the moment?
C: We’ve got a good relationship. We haven’t talked much cause we’ve not seen each other in a long time. But yeah, fundamentally we’ve got a good relationship.
Q: What are your next plans?
C: It’s a secret.
Q: I read something about an album with Reverend and the Makers..
C: Oh, that’s still a secret (mumbles something) There’s lots of things to do. Now I’ve got so much time. Now I’ve stopped drinking.

Peter in The Netherlands

Message from Babybear to netherlanders:
"Update. Adam, Drew and Mick + Boabie / Brucie supercombination are en route tomorrow. Peter is in your country already secreted in a hidden lodge bang up for the show. Hope you all have fun! Send Me A Postcard Darling(s)! (Prize to anyone who spots the hidden Dutch reference there). Keep it clean kids .... Keep it clean! bb
p.s. The Boabie and the Brucie are threatening to stay one more night so batten down the hatches and leave the city as fast as your sabots will carry you!"
We gotta stay united! That's why I'm advertising this new site about our very Billy Bilo: it's called Pete Doherty On Line and it's here (just one little criticism to the webmissus: colours are too light and reading is difficult. Could you try a darker blue? Thankitos).
Remember the interview our friend Greg did with Peter at Loch Lomond? It's up on French Dog Blues and it's a good read! Good job Greg!
Gorgeous b&w pictures of the Graz gig to be seen here.

8/29/2008

Waffle waffle waffle

Setlist from last night's gig: Death on the stairs, Hooray for the 21st century, Back from the dead, Don´t look back into the sun, Can´t stand me now, You´re my Waterloo, Love rain over me, At the flophouse, What a waster, Ha ha wall.
Photos by Derryberry.
It seems that the 8mm "film" was only a montage of Pete' s paintings.
Message from Adam: "There's been some confusion. Although the 'entroubled' single is out Sep 8th (7" and download) it's still available free from the usual PO Box address, see the blog on myspace.com/roseskingscastles, if you're oversees then either get admin on here to sort it or go to roseskingscastles.com and you'll have to pay you're postage inthe fanclub area. I know it seems odd that it's being released commercially online/7 and for free by PO BOX but! - it's an odd world we live in. On a shambles tip, all is looking good (touch wood) for the Holland festival, a possibilty of a UK later in the year, will keep yous all in the loop. Shambles and Peter wise I don't think they'll be any releases this year. So you can all save up for christmas presents. Remember to get your five a day".
On DPT planet: Carl & co played at the Rock en Seine Festival in Paris last night. "La nuit tombe sur Carl Barât et ses Dirty Pretty Things" says Fluctuat.net "mais rien ne se passe sur scène : ça déroule, ça déroule... Des chansons interchangeables, plutôt efficaces mais sans relief, qui font une fois de plus regretter la split des explosifs Libertines. Les groupies de 15 ans, elles, semblent apprécier le placebo".
Our friend Anjali (not a 15 year old groupie) took some beautiful photos.
And Carlos and Anthony gave another one of their auto-piloted interviews to Reuters (here).

pete doherty - don´t look back into the sun (nonstop kino)

Straight from last night's gig, Peter playing one of my fave songs ever at the Nonstop kino in Graz. Very good quality!

8/28/2008

Greetings from Graz


Article in German with audio interview and slide show.

Another long article in German with nice piccies.

Beautiful pictures here.

According to people who were there the gig was almost worth the 80 euros of the ticket. "Well... I was there" said Derryberry on FDW "and it was - dare I say that - (one of) the most beautiful evening(s) ever! I´m not saying that it was worth 80€, but I´m nearly there. . he came on at, hmm, about 11 I guess and played (with some interruptions by Cal Roberts and Alan Wass) ´til 1:30".

TONIGHT:
Pete Doherty Solo
Doors Open: 21:00
Tickets: 23 €
Venue: NonStop Kino
Europaplatz 88020
Graz
Support: Alan Wass (UK) Cal Roberts (UK) Rudi Schuhmann & Wolfgang Leitner (A)
On decks: DJ Bright Night Light (Club NonStop)

8/27/2008

Something new about Peter



The man is heading to Austria where he's supposed to play an exclusive gig tonight at a small Venue in Graz called "Scherbe". Tickets at 80 € (somebody has been laying too much under the sun lately).

Tomorrow he will play another solo gig in Graz at the NonStop porn cinema and he will also present his 8mm film recordings that he has shot himself, for the first time. Support: Alan Wass (UK) Cal Roberts (UK) Rudi Schuhmann & Wolfgang Leitner (A) On screen: Pete Doherty is going to present his private exclusive 8mm film recordings for the very first time On decks: DJ Bright Night Light (Club NonStop) Open doors: 9pm nonstop

Who the heck is Cal Roberts? Read all about him here.

8/26/2008

Two more from Reading and Leeds

Ahem... that's a Tuborg innit

Did you get shot with Carl and the boys at the signing tent? Find it out yourself here!

Plus! Tourdates reviews the Shambles gig:
Babyshambles were given the draw nobody wanted – the slot that ran parallel with Rage Against The Machine. During the lead up to the festival, bassist Drew McConnell urged fans to see Rage instead of his own band, such was the attraction of the LA headliners. However, like a true professional, McConnell got on with his job and contributed to a showing that raised the roof off the NME tent. Pete Doherty and his mob were bang on form and bombarded through a thirteen song set.Though breaking the law by smoking throughout the performance, Doherty seemed focused and determined demonstrate his talents. Opening with ‘Carry on up the Morning’ from latest album ‘Shotter’s Nation’, they relied heavily on Babyshambles material, shunning tracks from Doherty’s previous band The Libertines. ‘Delivery’, ‘Baddie’s Boogie’ and ‘Killamangiro’ had the bumper crowd bouncing along, inspiring crowd surfers, violent mosh-pits and huge sing along moments. Doherty dedicated ‘Albion’ to Daniel Squires, a 16-year-old he played at the wake of after his death from bone marrow cancer. Then, ‘Unstookietitled’ was devoted to black civil rights pioneer Marcus Garvey. Despite being given the most unenviable set of the weekend, Babyshambles didn’t disappoint. It would be difficult to imagine anyone regretting not seeing Rage, however good they were. Babyshambles were fantastic and for many at this festival, Doherty still rules the roost.

8/25/2008

More snippets from the weekend

  • Peter's a hero (again).
  • Two songs from Shambles performance at Reading.
  • Long version of the Carl interview at the signing tent.
  • Carl and Anthony look to America (here).

C'est la rentrée!

Great, the Olympics are over, Reading is over and summer is not over yet. Time to get back to work. Sigh.

READING FESTIVAL ROUND-UP
Don't know about Leeds but Reading was ace this year. Lots of stunning new bands and Rage back to life plus Metallica bringing up the kid that's inside all of us (people snogging during Nothing Else Matters! When we all used to hate Lars a few years back cause he made Napster shut down!). And the Raconteurs, and that fantastic hunk that's Josh Homme! And Brandon Flowers de-tached! And Johnny Marr, Johnny Marr!!! Man, I could have died on the spot.

But of course we're here to talk about the Libs. I think everybody (that is, everybody in UK) saw the Shambles gig on TV on Friday night. The gig can still be seen here but of course it's once again for UK residents only. Thank God some kind soul uploaded many clips on You Tube. The Times talks about "a lacklustre performance". It didn't exactly look like that to me. Of course Babyshambles don't give their best in a festival environment, but I found their gig quite enjoyable anyway. Peter joked a lot about the "whirlpool effect" (I guess this will have to be the shambles punchline for the next six months or so) and he was looking really great. Mik, on the contrary, was a bit too stiff for my liking (helloooo, Mikster? Are you the-ere?). Setlist: 'Carry On Up The Morning', 'Delivery', 'Beg, Steal Or Borrow', 'Baddie's Boogie', 'Side Of The Road', 'Unstookietitled', 'Killamangiro', 'Sedative', 'Pipedown', 'I Wish', 'The Blinding', 'Albion', 'Fuck Forever'.


Dirty Pretty Things played in the afternoon as usual, but on the main stage. People were coming and going during their set which was rather unnerving ("How many noodles? 3? 4? Chicken noodles? Veggie? What? I can't hear you, there's a fucking band playing loud here"), but the pit was cool. Once again, the video of their gig is here but only for Brits. I was rather excited when I heard them covering Nirvana's "In Bloom" but now I reckon it was not a brilliant idea; the NME nearly jumped down their throat for doing so, saying they "murdered" the song. It wasn't exactly so, but Carlos should learn to leave some things where they are. Too many people who witnessed Nirvana's gig at Reading in 1992 are still relatively young and many of them still see Kurt as the hero of their adolescence and don't like to see him "revisited" by anyone. Having said that, the rest of the set went on rather smoothly.
Carl entertained fans in the signing tent afterwards (small clip here). What did he say, he got a lot of invites at dinner? Jesus, somebody feed the poor sod. He's forced to wear braces to prevent his jeans from falling down (not that people would be too sorry if that happened). Kidding. Keep staying in shape, Biggles. Setlist: 'Holly Go Lightly', "Buzzards & Crows', 'Doctors & Dealers', 'Hippy's Son', 'Chinese Dogs', 'Gentry Cove', 'Blood Thirsty Bastards', 'Fault Lines', 'Gin And Milk', 'In Bloom', 'Deadwood', 'Truth Begins', 'Plastic Hearts', 'Bang Bang You're Dead', 'You Fucking Love It'.
WHAT'S NEXT
As usual, the gigs of the week!
Babyshambles: Festival de Beschaving, Utrecht, The Netherlands - Saturday 30 August, 20.30-21.30 (CET) - Rabobank Stage.
DPT: Rock en Seine, Domain National de Saint Cloud, Paris - Thursday 28 August, 19.10 (CET), Scene de la Cascade.

8/22/2008

Just a quickie...

... before heading to Reading.

For people who love their fave musicians' autographs and piccies:
The NME Signing Tent is set to return at this weekend's Reading And Leeds Festivals (August 22-24). Below are the times that bands will be signing autographs on both sites, though be warned - there can be big queues, so get there early.

Reading - Friday August 22
Dizzee Rascal 12.30
Anti Flag 1.30
MGMT 2.00
Blood Red Shoes 3.00
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly 3.30
The Wombats 4.00
Does It Offend You, Yeah? 4.45
Teenagers 6.15 TBC
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip 6.45

Reading - Saturday August 23
Foals 1.00
We Are Scientists 1.30
Kids In Glass Houses 2.25
Bullet For My Valentine 3.10
Seasick Steve 3.45
Black Kids 4.30
Santogold 5.15
Dirty Pretty Things 6.00
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong 7.00
Manic Street Preachers 8.00

Reading - Sunday August 24
Hadouken! 1.30
Lightspeed Champion 2.00
The Cribs 2.45
Cage The Elephant 4.00
Adam Green 4.30
Glasvegas 5.15
Simian Mobile Disco 6.00 TBC
Crystal Castles 7.00

Leeds - Friday August 22
Hadouken! 1.30
Lightspeed Champion 2.00
Cage The Elephant 4.00
Adam Green 4.30
Glasveags 5.15
Simian Mobile Disco 6.00 TBC

Leeds - Saturday August 23
Dizzee Rascal 12.30
The Teenagers 1.00
Antiflag 1.30
MGMT 2.00
Blood Red Shoes 3.00
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly 3.30
The Wombats 4.00
Does It Offfend You, Yeah? 4.45
Vampire Weekend 5.30
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip 6.30

Leeds - Sunday August 24
Foals 1.00
We Are Scientists 1.30
Kids In Glass Houses 2.15
Bullet For My Valentine 3.00
Seasick Steve 3.45
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong 4.15
Santogold 5.15
Dirty Pretty Things 6.00
Manic Street Preachers 8.00
NB: all times and names are subject to change. See posters outside the signing tents at both sites for the latest information.

Peter's surprise gig at the Jazz After Dark on Wednesday night has made the tabloids. Joined by the sweet Adam, Peter played two hours worth of material which pulled songs from both The Libertines and Babyshambles catalogue, plus a few Johnny Cash and Beatles covers. See Twist and Shout here.
Later from Reading!

8/20/2008

Moonfest cancellation aftermath


Eeeerrrr... OK. Peter gave an interview about the cancellation of the Moonfest Festival, speaking from his balcony. Watch it here.
Many French Dog Writtlers are writing their concern about the irresponsible behaviour of Wiltshire police. Adam posted a link to which protests may be addressed.
Anyway, I think we have given enough relevance to this sad story. Let's think about Reading and Leeds, OK?
I have something to say about DPT too:
  • tonight Didz and Anthony are dj-ing with Adam (Ficek, not Green!) at the Punk club in London. According to some little bird Carl will turn up too.
  • there's a change of date and venue for the Koko (ex) gig: the gig has been put back one week, it will now take place on TUESDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER. The venue has changed from London Koko to LONDON SCALA (275 Pentonville Road, King's Cross, London, N1). Doors are at 8pm. Please note that this is still an OVER 18s ONLY gig. The support act will now be South London five-piece THE METROS. For those who are entering the AOL competition: the closing date for entries is now midday on Monday 1st September.
  • our friend Pieter (no relation) has interviewed Gary and Didz last week at the Pukkelpop Festival. You can read the interview at his site.

Breck Road Lovers is flying to London tomorrow. I hope I will be able to give you some updates before heading to Reading on Friday. See ya!

Beware beware! Shambles fan alert! Code Red Code Red!



From NME.com:

The Moonfest – the bash previously scheduled to take place on August 29-31 in Wiltshire – has been cancelled after police banned Babyshambles from performing at the bash. As previously-reported on NME.COM, Wiltshire police claimed that Pete Doherty's band were too likely to incite violence. They presented their views to North Wiltshire Magistrates who then orgered Moonfest organisers to strike Babyshambles from the bill. As a consequence of the cancellation the festival has been cancelled, reports BBC News. Organiser John Green blamed the police for the cancellation. He said it was "due to the ramifications presented to us by the actions of the police" that the decision had to be made. Superintendent Paul Williams of the Wiltshire Police said he didn't blame the band for his decision, he blamed their fans. "The issue is not the act itself, it is the profile of fans that follow the act," he said. "Wiltshire Police do not have an issue with Pete Doherty or Babyshambles." Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek said he thought the police's decision was an overreaction, and that his band plan to organise an alternative gig near the festival site. "The whole thing is a farce, it's almost comical," he told NME.COM."The organiser of the festival is now on the verge of bankruptcy," he continued. "Why? Because we intentionally speed up and slow down the tempo of our songs. We're now in the process of trying to make it happen in a different venue. Watch this space."


Adrian comments (on FDW):

"Today's Statement. It's believed it was the first time police anywhere in the country had used Section 160 of the Licensing Act (2003) to get a performance stopped. "We carried out an analysis of what Pete Doherty and his band does." Both of these statements from the original interview given by Superintendent Paul Williams The Wiltshire Gazette seem sinister to me. I would be very interested to have a look at his report on Babyshambles "methods" of creating a "whirlpool" which encourages "fighting" amongst the fans. Further to that it brings up the image of bobbies in plain clothes standing at the back of a show taking notes about the show which, amusing in theory, does have some disturbing Big Brother undertones. I must also state that we would have been very happy to take part in this 'analysis' as I am sure would the many, many professional people within the live touring industry we have worked with over the last two years to ensure crowd safety, details of which are also included contractually before a show takes place. I am also very sure these professionals would be delighted to view this 'analysis' by Wiltshire Police for themselves. It may prove educational. We would have been able to talk about show stop procedures in place for crowd collapse / fighting, the insistence on Mojo barriers for crowd control, our policy on stage invaders, the extensive security briefings we have at every venue / event we play .... the list goes on but sadly we were not consulted. It is unusual because of these procedures we have in place for us ever to have resorted to a show stop but in the rare event that it has been necessary the crew and the band have acted as one in the interest of crowd safety. This article paints a different picture and implies somewhat ridiculously that we have patented methods of whipping a crowd up into a dangerous frenzy. Simply not true. If a problem occurs anywhere whether in the crowd, with the equipment or with the safety barriers the band are informed and leave the stage immediately, ceasing all music until the problem is dealt with and the situation is completely safe for them to return to the stage. I have been told that part (or perhaps the whole) of the 'analysis' was based on You Tube footage. I cannot comment on whether this was the case or not nor the quality of the evidence gathered but it would strike me that a call to myself, the tour manager or the production manager (all happy to consult) would have added to the 'analysis' and perhaps served well into giving a broader based picture of the facts as a whole. A further disturbing fact is that if this is indeed the first time Section 160 has been used then Pandora's Box is effectively open. This could have potential knock on effects all the way down the live industry, one of the areas of the massive UK music industry which is buoyant and a massive source of tax revenue and employment both here and abroad. Further to the original interview I read this on BBC 6 Music's website. Superintendent Paul Williams said: "Wiltshire police do not have an issue with Pete Doherty or Babyshambles." "The issue is not the act itself, it is the profile of fans that follow the act." This again seems somewhat sinister to me and I would be delighted to view or discuss the profiling of the fans used to draw this conclusion. I expect that Babyshambles' fans will feel somewhat slighted by this statement as do the band who, as is well documented, have one of the closest affinities with their fans than anyone around in the current music scene. bb".

8/19/2008

Soviet Wiltshire

From NME.com:
Police have banned Pete Doherty and Babyshambles from performing at the Moonfest festival, set to take place on August 29-31 in Wiltshire. Doherty's band were due to play at the bash on August 29, but a police investigation into Babyshambles' stage manner led them to draw the conclusion that their performance would be likely to incite violence. Chief Superintendent Julian Kirby, divisional commander of Wiltshire Police, said: "We carried out an analysis of what Pete Doherty and his band does."What he does as part of his routine is to gee up the crowd. They speed up and then slow down the music and create a whirlpool effect in the crowd. "They [the crowd] all get geed up and then they start fighting. "Police presented their findings to North Wiltshire Magistrates on Monday (August 17), who ordered festival organisers to cancel any appearance from Doherty or Babyshambles. It is believed that the case represents the first time police anywhere in the country have used Section 160 of the Licensing Act (2003) to get a performance stopped, Gazette And Herald reports. Despite the fact that only 150 tickets have currently been sold for the 5,000 capacity festival, Supt Paul Williams said that the ten stewards licensed to work at Moonfest would have been inadequate to cope with a public order situation. Reacting to the police's decision, Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek said he was angry, but said that the band would try to organise an alternative show. "The whole thing is a farce, it's almost comical," he told NME.COM. "The organiser of the festival is now on the verge of bankruptcy," he continued. "Why? Because we intentionally speed up and slow down the tempo of our songs. We're now in the process of trying to make it happen in a different venue. Watch this space."
Something more about it from BBC News:
Pete Doherty's manager says he is "livid" after the singer's band Babyshambles were banned from playing a festival in Wiltshire later this month.
Police claimed in court that the group could incite violence at the Moonfest event in Westbury.
Manager Andy Boyd called the ban "outrageous". "The list of bands playing at the festival was handed over to police months ago," he continued.
Doherty plans to play a free show at another time to compensate fans.
"We might even do it at Pete's house in a big barn. We're definitely going to honour those tickets somehow, but as far as the festival goes our hands are tied," Mr Boyd said.
"Babyshambles have played about 25 festivals this year. They've been playing festivals all summer, what's the difference with this one?"
Moonfest organiser John Green said the police used a previous performance of the band to argue for the ban at North Wiltshire magistrates court in Chippenham.
"They used a YouTube clip of what they say is a stage invasion at the Albert Hall, where Babyshambles played recently," he said.
Mr Green said the ban had been implemented under section 160 of the 2003 Licensing Act, which allows courts to close areas of of premises where there is "disorder or expected disorder".
Despite the fact that only 150 tickets have currently been sold for the 5,000 capacity festival, Mr Green said he was certain more would have gone had the band still be playing.
"Sales have been increasing quite dramatically and we were expecting quite lot of people to turn up at the gate as well."
He added Doherty had told him he was "hugely disappointed" about the decision.
A Wiltshire Police spokesperson was unavailable for comment.

8/18/2008

Sziget Festival and other stories

Photo by Veronika Moore

Peter and Babyshambles played at the Sziget Festival in Hungary last night. After letting down hundreds of people with his missed appearance at the Frequency Festival on Saturday night, Peter made up for that with a stunning performance. We have beautiful photos here. The site of the festival gave a review of the gig:
"The great thing about pop is that a certain performance allows different interpretations. What’s even more beautiful is that pop cannot be interpreted like the left and right side of an equation. In pop, 2 and 2 is sometimes 5, or, if you like, ’the owls are not what they look like.’ We could easily call the concert of Babyshambles nothing but lame clatter dissected by a few tighter moments, but we shouldn’t do so. We could also think that Pete Doherty is nothing but an indie tabloid hero, if it weren’t clear that there’s a lot more to it. Doherty is an inspired songwriter, Babyshambles make good songs, on the stage, although in a very special way, there is presence, the members are all a different destiny, the stage existence of the frontman looking like a scary scarecrow is the here-and-now; anything could happen, constant tension, fascinating decay – no boring festival etiquette, no ’Hello Budapest, no hello Hungary.’ It was rock & roll reality theater with memorable songs: Fuck Forever, Delivery, Down In Albion, etc, and who cares that we didn’t hear the A-students of the Royal Academy of Music on the Main Stage".

This festival weekend is over both for Shambles and DPT. Next weekend Reading and Leeds are already upon us and it's time for easyjetting once again to Albion. Yeah, holidays might be over but something huge is waiting for us. Let me remind you dates and times:

READING FESTIVAL (Richfield Avenue, Reading)

BABYSHAMBLES: Friday 22 August - NME stage (22.30-23.30)

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS: Saturday 23 August - Main stage (15.40 - 16.25)

LEEDS FESTIVAL (Braham Park, Leeds)

BABYSHAMBLES: Saturday 23 August - NME stage (22.00 - 23.00)

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS: Sunday 24 August - Main stage (15.30 - 17.15)

8/16/2008

Breaking News: No show at Frequency

From Adam:
"Drew, MIk and Myself - can only apologise to those who came to see us today. Peter has missed the flight, we are in Salzburg, with no peter, We will head to the festival and apologise on stage.. Adam".
Good luck, Adam!
Peter you naughty naughty boy!

Quick updates

Megascreen at Frequency

The Instigate Debate site is now on here. Scroll down and enjoy two "serious" interviews with our very Carlos Barat and Drusillo McConnell.

Speaking of which...

  • Drew played again with Helsinki last night at The Paradise club (photo by Ripe Pipe).
  • Carlos played with Dirty Pretty Things at the Frequency Festival, Salzburg (Austria) (see photo above).
  • Babyshambles are playing tonight at the same Festival, and tomorrow at the Sziget Festival in Hungary.
  • Whereas DPT are playing tonight at the Motor im Grungen 2008 fest (in Berlin). Great afterparty at the White Noise Club with the one and only Carl Barat behind the decks.
Plus! There are new dates looming!

  • DPT are playing Koko on Tuesday, 26th August with support from Florence and The Machine. The only way to get in is to win tickets via AOL. Click here for full details. You must be 18 or over to enter and the competition closes at midday on Monday, 25th August.
  • And Shambles take Germany in December: Leipzig - 04.12.2008; Düsseldorf - 07.12.2008; Hamburg - 08.12.2008; Berlin - 09.12.2008 (more info here).



8/15/2008

Handbags and glad rags

Sorry, the headline has got nothing to do with what I'm going to say but actually I love that song a lot!
Anyway...
Last night Helsinki played at the Dingwalls for the Hawley Arms fundraiser. Pity that the press today is only focusing on Amy Winehouse's misadventures. The only interesting article I've found is this, from BBC News. "What a good night" sums up Insearchoftheperfectwave from FDW (great name!) "Helsinki were amazing, Drew was lovely and Noel (Fielding) was funny".
Speaking of the tabloidization of British culture, this initiative involving Drew and Carlos and reported by NME.com might sound interesting:
"A new website aiming to reignite political and social debate and tone down the tabloidisation of British culture has won the support of a host of musicians. Dirty Pretty Things' Carl Barat, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell, Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson and John McClure from Reverend And The Makers have all given their support to Instigate Debate, which launches at V Festival this weekend (August 16/17). The concept of Instigate Debate revolves around a competition - with a particularly unique prize on offer that will see some of Britain's best musicians, including Barat and McClure, performing a unique, one-off gig in the winner's living room. To be in with a chance of winning, organisers are asking people to submit a self-filmed video themselves with a public figure talking about something other than tabloid gossip or self-promotion. "We are asking people not to ask public figures for autographs or film them surreptitiously with their mobile phones," Instigate Debate said in a statement to NME.COM. "But to ask them if they can film, then ask socio/political questions, rather than next album/merchandise/love life stuff." Several bands at this weekend's V Festival are set to publicly announce their support for the project. Instigatedebate.com is set to go live on August 16, and will feature the likes of Barat, McClure, McConnell, Wilson, Alan McGee, Suggs, Jon Snow and George Galloway waxing lyrical about everything from foreign policy to whether money has changed them as people".
All this looks promising enough but I'm also a bit doubtful as to whether it may work or not. I can't help but see flashes of an army of screaming frinkers clutching their weapons (i.e. mobiles) in their hands while struggling with each other in finding the most interesting "socio-political question" to ask poor Carl and Drew so that they can have the two hunks playing together in their bedroom. This would even surpass the most infamous Libertines reunion dream one might have. Well, I don't want to crush your hopes, Carl and Drew, but forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical.

8/14/2008

Dirty Pretty Things at Pukkelpop

I'm sorry I couldn't advise you earlier about the live podcast from Pukkelpop, I was at the beach and didn't know anything about it until I switched on my PC only 15 minutes before DPT started their set. Maybe someone else had to do that... but anyway, it was a very tight set, with Carl and Anthony sporting matching outfits, Didz sporting an end-of-60s Paul McCartney look and Gary sporting his muscles (and his bum, at the end). The new songs sounded so much better than on the record. Anthony was particularly on good form.
Setlist: Buzzards and crows, Wondering, Doctors and dealers. Hippy son, The enemy, Faultlines, Gin and milk, Bloodthitsty bastards, Chinese dogs, The gentry cove, Deadwood, You fucking love it, Plastic heart, Bang Bang you're dead.

Carl on his projects

The Dirty Pretty Things frontman and ex-Libertines member talks about his new group, Amy Winehouse and why he’ll never find Daisy Lowe sexy.

You’ve just come out of hospital after suffering pancreatitis. Are you better?
Yeah, I’ve got a much clearer head, especially as I’m not drinking. I’m looking forward to getting on with stuff.

How difficult has it been to steer clear of booze?
Pretty easy really. I keep changing the date of when I can drink again. I keep bringing it forward and then pushing it back. I’ve got another month or so.

You’re acting as a mentor for unsigned bands looking to open the V Festival in the Road To V contest.
Why? Well, they said they’d pay me! No, I think this is better than things such as Pop Idol, because it throws you into the public eye. Some of the bands are amazing.

Your new group is The Chavs [with Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, Martin Duffy of Primal Scream and Razorlight’s Andy Burrows]. How’s it going?
We’ll record an album at the end of the year. We’re really excited. I don’t know what’s going to come out of it but we’re going to do it like we mean it!

How does working with them differ to working with Dirty Pretty Things or The Libertines?
It’s pretty different. The idea is to try things that we wouldn’t normally do. It’s a different dynamic, they’re different types of people – I hope it’s nothing like working with The Libertines!

Will there ever be a reunion of The Libertines?
Not at the minute. Maybe one day. I haven’t spoken to Pete recently – I went to that sea shanties gig at the Barbican but he didn’t turn up. I’m sure he’d be up for a reunion one day, but we’ll have to see.

What do you think of all the attention he attracts?
He’s normally on top of his game and seems to know what he’s doing – obviously if it’s bad, it’s not good.

And you’re mates with Amy Winehouse. Any advice for her?
Not really. I do feel very sad for her, but people take their own path really.

You’re friends with Pearl Lowe – what do you think of Daisy’s modelling career?
I’ve known Daisy since she was 14, so looking at her like that would be wrong! When she was younger she’d wake up and we’d still be there in her house from the night before.

Are she and Mark Ronson a good couple?
Yeah. They certainly seem very much in love. I’ll give them that.

Adam on Shambles bio



Adam Ficek has told 6 Music news all about an upcoming novel each member of Babyshambles has contributed to. The drummer told us the book will be a different perspective from each member on past events and life in Babyshambles.

"I spent all of last night, that’s why I'm very tired, just trying to get the final interview with Peter done. Everyone else has been interviewed. So this is the final interview. We finished with Peter last night. Its good and it should be out in November."

He says the book will be a warts and all tale, full of memorable times for both the band and fans."I think this is full of good anecdotes. And Peter was giving an insight into, just things people would be interested in, you know there's obviously a bit of Kate Moss stuff in there, a bit about, for instance, why we missed the Oasis dates."
Adam says the book is being written by a good friend of his. He told 6 Music it has been a long and hard process, but they've been working hard to make sure they get everyone's side of the stories and events. But he did say that it isn't a page turner solely on Pete Doherty.

"There's a lot of stuff regarding him and Kate's relationship, there's a lot of stuff regarding his view on the no-shows, his view on drugs, his view on the arrests and persecution, relationships with band members. But the good thing about it is, it's not a Peter book. It’s a book from our perspective as well, about how it affects us."

Adam says the band are very much aware of all the stuff that is said about them in the press and that the book won't be shying away from all the bad things that people suspect have or haven't been going on.

"It's not as dark and gritty that it covers every negative aspect of the band. But it gives you an insight into the kind of, like, the euphoric highs and the depressing lows of the band. And I think that's what is important about this band. No matter what veneer we put on this outside it has really dark elements to it, real dark places where you think you're never gonna get out of and then suddenly you're touring arenas and its the most amazing thing in the world."

He was also talking to us also about his solo project, Roses, Kings, Castles which released a second single earlier this week. The album is out on September 22nd.

As yet, there's not a title for the book.

8/13/2008

Midsummer shenanigans: Libs on two wheels























Peter goes muddy...
... And Carl thinks he's James Dean

8/11/2008

Upcoming gigs

A rather busy week ahead!
BABYSHAMBLES
Saturday 16 August - Frequency Festival, Salzburgring, Salzburg (Austria) h: 21.20 (CET) Race Stage
Sunday 17 August - Sziget Festival, Obudai Island, Budapest (Hungary) h: 18.00 (CET) Main Stage
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
Thursday 14 August - Pukkelpop Festival, Kiewit, Hasselt (Belgium) h: 16.30-17.15 (CET) Marquee Stage
Friday 15 August - Frequency Festival, Salzburgring, Salzburg (Austria) h: 17.10 (CET) Race Stage
Saturday 16 August - Motor in Grunen, Zitadelle, Berlin (Germany) h: from 15.00 (CET).

8/09/2008

Peter in Liverpool and some other things


From Gigwise:

Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty played a surprise solo show in Liverpool last night (August 8th). Doherty performed in front of a sold out crowd, many of whom had paid upwards of £25 each to see the singer, at the city's Studio venue.Dressed in a thick tan coloured trench coat and suit, Doherty rattled through a mixture of Babyshambles and Libertines hits during his acoustic set.His appearance in Liverpool conflicted with recent tabloid reports that claimed he had gone on a nomadic holiday around the British Isles in a camper van.

Adam Ant from FDW says: "well well well! pete was on good form but as usual a few things pissed me off, firstly the venue did not bank on the type of reaction peter would get, they had like 8 bouncers holding the gates at the front and pushing ppl back with force and a 'if anybody crowd surfs, crack em' - which isnt quite fair, however a few of them who did bloody deserved it! Too many knobs there just to heckle peter, and especially during YNWA but hey im sure he expected that! i for one loved it! I just felt a bit sorry for him because again it was only a handful of ppl who were there for him and his acoustic guitar, too many knobs, too many fan girls - but you know this is what we expect from a pete gig these days. It was by no means a polished run of the mill gig, he turned up with his guitar did a few songs and that was that, but he did still shine. I was going to die of boredom until he walks on and lights up the room, and he really did. Pete looked healthy and he was in good spirits and handled the rowdy crowd really well".
And now some other things:
Helsinki (Drew's brilliant side project) are playing at the Dingwalls for The Hawley Arms Tribute Fundraiser (remember, the Hawley Arms was the Camden Club that burned down last spring) on Thursday 14 August . The gig will be hosted by Noel Fielding and will also feature some special guests. Doors:7:00 pm, price:£5 Adv, age:18+, Room(s): Main Venue.
Dirty Pretty Things received cold reviews after their gig at the Oya Festival but looked in high spirits no matter what. They also gave a short but funny interview to VG-Net. After a babelfish check I can summarize the chat with these words:
  • Carl won't be reading Peter's book (allegedly) recounting his sex romps with Miss Moss
  • but he's bought Madonna's sex book for his sister
  • Anthony was eager to see My Bloody Valentine playing at the Fest
  • Anthony also said the guys are having a great time and are doing a lot of dirty pretty things.
That's what's really important guys. Keep having fun.

8/08/2008

DPT at the Oya Festival


No live transmission, but a video (You fucking love it) and some photos from Flickr.

Judging from these images it was probably fucking cold. Which seems paradise to someone like me who's currently roasting in a 36 degree (Celsius) environment.
Later!

8/07/2008

The Liverpool gig seems to be on

From Liverpool Confidential:

"MISUNDERSTOOD [????] popstar Pete Doherty apparently often nips up to Liverpool on the QT, and on Friday he's here once more. And quite a few people know about it, but only just.
Yes, he really is coming, he will turn up, say the organisers of the party to launch Studio in Hardman Street who are rapidly selling out of £22 tickets for the event.
Pete is no stranger to headlines, in fact he made them earlier this week when his boat capsized at Loch Lomond while he was trying to get into the VIP enclosure of the festival there.
On Friday he makes a headline of a different sort, topping the bill playing an acoustic set at the former Jaxx and Hardman House Hotel.
Liverpool Confidential got a sneak walk-around the new-look Studio the other day and it looks the part for anyone planning one of those lost nights out with a Space room and a VIP lounge (which Pete won't have to get in a boat to get into) plus bars and mirror balls galore.
The plan is to have one major act a month on, and it all kick starts this weekend with Howie Payne (brother of Candie and The Zutons' drummer Sean) providing a very laudible support".

Want to go to the party and gig for free as special guests of The Studio?
Go to Liverpool Confidential and follow the instructions.

Tomorrow Dirty Pretty Things are playing at the Oya Festival in Norway. There should be good chances to see live bits of their performance here (they start at 4.15 pm CET).
Plus! Tune in to Steve Lamacq's show on 6 Music tonight (Thursday, 7th August) to catch Didz joining Andrew Harrison from Word Magazine and Jon Mclure from Reverend And The Makers on the Roundtable. The Roundtable airs between 18:00 and 19:00. Click here for more info.
And! - Boozin n Bandin presents: //THE LEARNER DANCER PARTY. with; * DIRTY PRETTY THINGS dj set * BABYSHAMBLES dj set * HADOUKEN! dj set * JEFF LEACH dj set * RONNIE JOICE dj set plus; -+ live magic show + crystal ball readers. Wednesday august 20th, 11pm til 3am at PUNK, 14 Soho Street, London, W1D 3DN. £4 entry.
Punk is opening it's doors to some of the countries best loved bands and personallities once again... with DJ sets kicking off from two bands who can't help but be associated with each other.. we have Roses Kings Castle's, Adam Ficek, from Pete Doherty's outfit, Babyshambles, manning the decks... alongside Carl Barat's Dirty Pretty Things band-mate, Didz Hammond - formerly of the Cooper Temple Clause!.. Then we have the lead singer and general troublemaker, James Smith, of top band, Hadouken!, also making an appearance on the decks! Rumour has it he'll be flogging his new t-shirt designs too, so get up the front for that one... Finally; best friends Ronnie Joice and Jeff Leach hit the decks.. you might recognise Ronnie from indie outfit, No Picasso or from being a man about town DJing here there and everywhere, whilst Mr. Jeff Leach is not only one half of DJ duo, Men in Masks, but is all over your telly screens at the moment, hosting BBC2's 'The Surgery' and 'Scene Stealers'. He's also just finished a week-long stint hosting Big Brother's Big Mouth on E4 and hosted the BBC's coverage of T in the Park live from Scotland alongside Edith Bowman and Nick Grimshaw.. Jeff will be all over your Virgin media screens at V festival next weekend too.. I think you'll agree, you're gonna be in some good company for the night! COME AND BE A LEARNER DANCER. By the time we're finished with you, you'll be more than happy to ditch your 'L' plates! PLUS: to spice things up... HAVE YOUR FUTURE READ BY AN AUTHENTIC CRYSTAL BALL READER... AND THERE'LL ALSO BE LIVE STREET MAGIC FROM A *VERY* SPECIAL GUEST.. PLUS MANY MORE SURPRISES TO BE REVEALED NEARER THE TIME AND ON THE NIGHT!

8/06/2008

Adrian's pictures!

Browse Babybear's beautiful album of photies at Flickr!

8/05/2008

The Loaded interview


Thanks a lot to Courtney for putting up the scans of the interview on FDW. Of course, Peter's words were totally twisted by the redtops who reported bits from the article, particularly those regarding Miss Moss. But you'd better judge yourself...

8/04/2008

The Albion ship is sailing again... not!!!

Forget boats and ships, Peter, at least for now!
Yeah, funny stories in the net today, and of course most headlines were dedicated to the sinking incident. It was Adrian who spoke to the press this time, also because his brother was the hero of the day!
Pete Doherty had to be rescued from a sinking rowing boat at Loch Lomond Festival on Saturday (August 2). The Babyshambles man and five mates set sail for the VIP area after the band's set, hiring a boat from a local "Para Handy-like figure" on the Loch, according to the Daily Record. However, the boat capsized 30 yards from the shore, leaving the "shivering" singer to sing sea shanties to his pals as they awaited rescue. "It was freezing and we had a laugh, but it wouldn't be funny if someone had died," Babyshambles manager Adrian Hunter told the newspaper "Halfway to the shore we lost an oar so the boat was drifting, but we didn't really mind. Then we realised it had sprung a leak and water was coming in fast. It sank about three quarters of the way over and we all ended up in the water," he added. Pete and his crew were eventually rescued one-by-one by Adrian's brother Kevin. "He swam like Tarzan and saved us all," he said. Well done, Kevin!
The other funny story reported by redtops today is about Peter's trousers ripping during his performance at the Festival, nearly exposing his (naked. Who needs underwear?) delicious bum (no pics. We're trying to do a civilised article).
Anyway, back to seriousness, Peter's performance didn't go too well, at least according to our friend Judy Garland from FDW:
"This was an odd affair. He came on, saying that he was happily having a drink when he heard the crowd singing ‘I wish’ (“which is a song I can’t really play”). Then he played ‘I wish’ quite poorly and disjointedly. He struggled from there on, sweating profusely, repeatedly knocking his own hat off, stopping and starting at odd points, slowly pouring drinks (while trying not to bend down as he had a huge rip in his trousers between the legs and didn’t seem to be wearing any underwear). He played (in no particular order apart from the first three): I wish, Can’t Stand, Beg Steal, Ha Ha Wall, Good Old Days, There She Goes, Time for Heroes, Mockingbird, Albion, Fuck Forever (he spat after ‘New Labour’ and again after ‘Tory’; included a little narrative – delivered in a NY accent – about how someone from the New York Dolls told him ‘Fuck Forever’ was the best chat-up line ever), Psychokiller, few bars of Message to You Rudy before a rant about John Lydon (‘If you see him tomorrow and he turns out to be a racist, say hello from me’), first line of Flower of Scotland, I Fought the Law, Summertime (‘Carl Barat is rich and Alan McGee is not even good-looking’). [...] He finished by singing ‘Is it cruel or kind not to speak my mind or to fuck off now before I’m ht with any more water and shit’ (or something to that effect). The last 20 minutes or so were very disconnected. The music was, more or less, lost sight of. Pete encouraged the throwing of missiles (he caught sunglasses and what he thought was a piece of shit, ripping open his shirt and wiping his hands on his vest). He sang ‘just me and my guitar and a big bag of skag’ and then protested that he was clean, showing the crowd the insides of his arms (still covered by shirt and jacket). At times, funny, sad, cringe-worthy, endearing. Never found his stride. Never came anywhere near to what Pete Doherty can be. Odd affair".
We are still waiting anxiously for Greg's interview. Apparently Peter was impressed that Carl Barat said his fave song (written by Peter) was Killamangiro, and to the question "Which is your fave song written by Carl?" he replied "France and 9 Lives". Did you hear that Biggles? 9 Fucking Lives. Carl, Carl, for heaven's sake, Carlos.
OK, that's another story, innit.

8/03/2008

Peter at the Loch

Peter played at the Loch Lomond Festival last night. According to Greg, who had also the privilege to interview the man, he played "lots of covers, psychokiller, in the summertime, i fought the law also played time for heroes, good old days, i wish, cant stand me now".
The "muddy awful time" the photo above (coming from the News of the World!) talks about just happened to be a little banter with the crowd.
Plus! Two (a bit blurred) videos at youtube:
Your star will shine (Stone Roses cover)
And beautiful photos from ZeroZero99.
Finally, Lorne Jackson explains why he thinks Peter is the new Tony Hancock (here).

8/02/2008

Adam and Loch Lomond

Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek has launched his new website by giving away a batch of previously unreleased songs. Ficek's Roses, Kings, Castles website is offering fans 10 free demos - many of which are expected to appear on Ficek's debut album, also called 'Roses, Kings, Castles'. Ficek also explained how his solo songs were never initially meant to become public. He said: "This small bedroom project then somehow managed to gain the attention of my record company who wanted to hear what I had been doing." After lots of eerrrrs and aarrrgghs I sheepishly took them my music to listen to. I was shocked when they said they wanted to release the whole album." However, not everything went smoothly for Ficek."One thing lead to another and they [the record company] finally (after many phone calls and emails) decided that they wouldn't release it. Very confusing!" he said "So I set about trying to release it myself, spending lots of time researching, phoning, mailing... It was a challenge, very tiring but hugely rewarding and educational!". 'Roses, Kings, Castles' is released on September 22.
Tonight Peter (alone) is expected to headline (Good Vibrations stage) the Loch Lomond Festival, Balloch Castle Country Park, Balloch, Scotland.