After seeing Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong up all over the place on the Levi’s One To Watch posters being touted as ‘ones to watch’, hearing they were playing Wembley supporting none other than Babyshambles was impressive. They have a Kooks-esque kind of feel about them; with their trendy looks and sounds – they’re catchy, but since someone else has done it first (second, third, fourth....), not particularly a stand out.
And onto the main event: He turned up! Surely an accolade in itself after his infamy for all the no-shows. Maybe now EMI are behind the non-shambles that is Babyshambles Peter Doherty has to put his money where his mouth is. And he has – selling out Wembley Arena (or nearly selling it out – whatever, it’s packed and everybody is wearing rosary beads in homage to their God) is perhaps a testament to this new-found direction whereby the band turn up, play a tight set and then leave.
It’s great. Everybody loves it and knows all the words to every Babyshambles song that is played (only ONE Libertines song is played during the whole evening – ‘Music When the Lights Go Out’ – and I don’t even hear any hecklers requesting anything from Up the Bracket, weirdos). But whilst this sleek professionalism is all well and good, I’m looking for a bit of mess - you can’t have the word ‘shambles’ in your band and turn up wearing pin-striped suits and acting all civilised. But this is how it is. And while part of you thinks, “Good on you, Pete.” You’re left feeling rather distanced by the whole experience.




