Pete Doherty has teased a Babyshambles reunion for next year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their debut album, ‘Down In Albion’.
The band has been largely inactive since 2014 thanks to The Libertines re-forming. However, during a Pete Doherty solo gig in Northampton in August, bassist Drew McConnell and drummer Adam Ficek joined him on-stage for the first time in a decade. Sources told NME that guitarist Mik Whitnall was at the venue before the show too, but was unable to stay for the gig.
The band played a version of The Libertines’ ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ before performing hits including ‘Baddie’s Boogie’, ‘Back From The Dead’ and ‘Albion’ before finishing off with ‘Time For Heroes’ and ‘Killamangiro’.
Following the show, Ficek hinted the band could reunite properly. “4 out of 5 ain’t bad….wait for it….” he wrote.
Now, Doherty has had his say. “It is on the cards,” he told NME. “We will get back together and get in a room with the instruments and play through the old songs, then get on stage and do it,” said Doherty. “But it’s the ‘who’ and the ‘when’ that needs to be worked out. I think we’ll just keep that one on the horizon and deal with that one next year. Before then, I’ve got a new collection of songs which I’m putting out on my own label, which is tidy.”
Asked if he wanted to make another Babyshambles record, he replied: “I’ve got no idea. I wrote a new song the other day that I think would really work as a ‘Shambles song. Who knows? It’s a long way off yet. It’s going to be next Autumn, so we’ll see.”
NME spoke to Doherty about the prospect of a reunion earlier this year, with the frontman speaking on the potential of new material along with new shows: “The thing about the ‘Shambles is we had so many songs that we never got round to recording. In fact there’s one, called ‘Ocean’, which is now called ‘Stad Ocean’, which is on the solo album.
“But yeah, it’s just been a question of who’s gonna do what because there was a few Babyshambles line-ups and they’re all brilliant. In an ideal world, we’d get Pat [Walde, guitarist] and Mick [Whitnall, guitarist] playing and then maybe get Gemma [Clarke] and Adam [Ficek] to do some drums.”
Forming in 2003, Babyshambles released three albums together: ‘Down In Albion’ (2005), ‘Shotter’s Nation’ (2007) and ‘Sequel To The Prequel’ (2013).
This year, The Libertines released a new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ – their first album in nearly a decade and first to top the charts in 20 years. They will also be touring throughout 2025, with a headline show at London’s Gunnersbury Park on Saturday August 9. Visit here for tickets and more information.
