babyshambles, atomic cafe, 3.6.2006

What do you do, when you're bored out of your wits? Not much of a question, and one that can have answers that vary in different degrees. Yesterday though I decided to take up an offer from friend of mine to go to a concert. Super 700 they're called, and whilst not bad I ended up spending most of my time looking at the pretty girl in front of me with a star tattoo on her shoulder (Wenn du zufällige Weise diese Person bist, schickt mir bitte ne e-mail oder so, denn Ich glaube Ich bin in dich verknallt). But they're not bad I swear. Anyway, endless cigarettes and 2 bottles of beer later I was ready to go when I heard from my friend that Babyshambles are supposed to play a secret gig in atomic tonight. It was 11.30, nothing to do at home, so why not?

When I arrived there, it didn't look like there was anything going on and after 10 minutes of indecision I met two girls going out saying that the entrance fee is 18 euros because some band they've never heard of is playing tonight. When I asked if the band was called Babyshambles they nodded and went their way. After this confirmation I knocked, paid the 18 euros and went in after the woman at the door said that they've only just appeared onstage.

Pete Doherty in the flesh. Didn't look too shabby actually, but it may have been the lighting. The first half hour of the concert was quite frustating, thanks to Pete's habit of starting and stopping songs at whim. Did play a cover of Clash's Janie Jones though, which I thought was good. Libertines songs What Katie Did and Time For Heroes were performed, the rest thought are songs from the Babyshambles record. With Sticks and Stones though, the 6th songs or so, the gig really started to heat up. A rendition of Albion especially really got the crowd going and the closing anthem Fuck Forever closed the night with a bang. Then he disappeared quickly through the emergency exit not to be seen again, though I did had the urge to follow him and to talk to him.

Sad as it is though Pete is definitely wasting his talents. I'd be the first to concede that the has created a persona that's polarising in the way that most of the influental artists in music history have done. But I just can't see this working out for him. If only he could harness his talent, he may well be one of the most influental artist of this decade. But all this circus surrounding him is starting to get unbearable. And the most pathethic aspect is that he actually enjoys it. He has charisma, that I saw first hand yesterday, but at the same time you never get the feeling that he's in control. Poor lost boy, that's what he is.