Review from the London Lite (yep that London Lite) the day after Pete's gig in whitechapel.
Incoherent tramp? No, a treasure
Johnny Sharp, London Lite 18.01.07
It can't be easy being Pete Doherty. Maybe he deserves respect for ignoring the media circus and continuing to focus on music, which, in case you'd forgotten, was always his first love. Some Babyshambles gigs have been as coherent as a tramps' singalong on a park bench, but they all boasted a certain unpretentious love of playing, and a shabby, vulnerable charm.
This hastily arranged solo show in a small 400 capacity Whitechapel venue was typical of his impulsive way of operating. Yet something must have gone right for him to stroll on stage at 12.10am, on the dot of his arranged time. From the moment he opened the show with Libertines classic What A Waster this was destined to be a communal singalong.
As if to thank fans who've stuck by him, the gig soon turned into Doherty's Greatest Hits, with Libertines gems like What Katie Did and Don't Look Back Into The Sun performed alongside Babyshambles favourites like Killamangiro, and Down In Albion. After an hour of crowd-pleasing, he invited on stage reggae MC The General, who he met in Pentonville Prison, and a few other mates, but every time it looked like they'd stray into jam session indulgences, he'd launch into another wellknown song.
After two hours on stage, he had to be practically dragged off. Say what you like about Pete Doherty, but there are few who would play for hours on end just for the sheer love of strumming a guitar and singing their heart out.
What a waster? On this form he's almost a national treasure