Babyshambles reunite for first time in a decade at Pete Doherty show
Following the Oasis reunion earlier this week, Pete Doherty‘s Babyshambles are the latest band to return as the group performed a surprise set at the Northampton Roadmender on August 28th.
The show was originally billed as a Pete Doherty solo show, and for the first portion of the evening, that’s what the concert entailed. However, around the halfway point, Doherty welcomed his Babyshambles bandmates Drew McConnell and Adam Ficek to the stage to perform a collection of hits by the 2000s indie icons.
Notably, McConnell has spent the best part of the last decade playing with Liam Gallagher in his touring band. However, the Oasis reunion has freed up his schedule, and it didn’t take him long to get back on stage with Doherty.
While Ficek wasn’t the first drummer for Babyshambles, he played on the band’s first two albums, Down in Albion and Shotter’s Nation, before departing in 2008. Although he didn’t play on their third record, Sequel to the Prequel, Ficek was a key part of the classic line-up of the group.
Before reuniting in Northampton, Babyshambles last performed in 2014, and Doherty has since remained committed to The Libertines as well as releasing solo work. As The Libertines have extensive touring plans for the UK and Europe later this year, as well as in 2025, it remains to be seen how Doherty will balance both bands.
In 2022, during a conversation with Far Out, Doherty hinted at the possibility of reuniting Babyshambles, stating, “If I felt there was a real need for it, if people need to hear those songs live again, it would probably happen.”
Furthermore, he told NME earlier this year of a reunion, “There have been whispers of that for a while, but now it looks like it’s actually coming together.”
Doherty also stated he was “definitely” up for playing shows, and discussed revisiting old songs to record new material, adding, “The thing about the ‘Shambles is we had so many songs that we never got round to recording.”
Later this week, Doherty is set to play solo shows in Wolverhampton and Lancaster, which could also potentially turn into Babyshambles concerts.
Those in attendance at the Roadmender were overjoyed by the reunion with X user David Jackson posting, “Bit of a coup for the Roadmender in #NN on Wednesday, when a Pete Doherty solo show turned into somewhat of a Babyshambles reunion when Drew McConnell and Adam Ficek joined him on stage for the latter half of the gig.”
Additionally, Adam Coatham wrote on the same platform, “Oh my word, Babyshambles have just reunited in front of my very eyes for their first time playing together in 10 years Roadmender – what a bloody treat! Class to see you back on stage Adam Ficek with Drew and Peter!!”
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