BABYSHAMBLES

Review ****
Brixton Academy
October 05th, 2006


By Julian Julian



IN ANTICIPATION of Pete Doherty’s gig last night at the Brixton Academy, the exhilaration was running high and the intensity was felt with consistency.

His arrival on-stage with a scrubbed-up appearance, sporting a V-necked purple sweater over a white T-shirt spoke volumes on someone who seemed to portray the antithesis of rock-star eccentricity of attire selection.

Pete Doherty manifestly with his meek deportment that at times, had the semblance of a school-boy that produced first-class marks, perfectly blended into his music style that was stripped of shambolic performance, no less.

Launching into a punchy and well-timed reading of Piping Down from Babyshambles’ first album, the crowd instantly was hooked. But what kept the crowd even more transfixed was the brief cameos of Doherty’s girlfriend, Kate Moss.

The supermodel lent vocals to his song La Belle et la Bete for a split-second but her voice carried light morsel of inaudible murmur. No sooner was Kate done with her fleeting appearance than she scarpered off the limelight.

His performance was laced with harmonica the whole evening, an instrument that he aptly tweaked with, delivered fervently some good improvisations.

If Pete Doherty were to sustain such good-nature in his performances and retain the impact of his delivery as he so well demonstrated it last night
One could start thinking that, genuinely he has sloughed off his lost-in-the-world skin to re-establish an image of professional and career-driven artist.