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Babyshambles at Middlesbrough Town Hall, December 11th 06
Drugs, supermodels and now suspicious deaths, it can only be Pete Doherty. He rolled into Middlesbrough with Babyshambles on Monday night seemingly determined to prove that before he became tabloid fodder he was capable of creating quite spectacular music.
Forget the trashy gutter press though because, looking fitter and healthier than he has done in a long time Doherty looks like a man who is interested in music again. He mesmerized the massed ranks of Teesside’s indie kids from the moment he walked on stage and even found the time to taunt the crown with the promise of a new song before launching into the classic Time for Heroes.
The gig was scattered with classics from Doherty’s short career. F**k Forever and Kilamangiro sound as angry and heartbroken as ever whilst Albion is a perfect example of why Doherty is so important to today’s music scene. The high point of the night though was without doubt the Libertines biggest hit Cant Stand me Now which is still one of the best accounts of a relationship break down you are ever likely to hear.
The gig wasn’t perfect though. A few songs seemed to drift away into nothingness, and whilst they may have sounded fantastic when nodding out in the studio they don’t really work well on stage.
In the past few months Middlesbrough has been treated to both Doherty and Carl Barat gracing the Town Hall stage. Whilst hopes of a Libertines reunion are as distant as ever we can be relieved that Doherty is finally remembering why he was the darling of the music press long before he had ever graced the gossip columns.
Andrew Cummins
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