Photo Credit: Georgia Cottrill
Words: Mia-Jo Vickers
The rough and ready Victoria Warehouse on a cold and dreary Sunday night in Manchester became the ideal backdrop for the long-awaited return of indie legends Babyshambles. After a long 11 years away, (which felt like a lifetime for most) tonight was the night that the Dandy Hooligan tour finally rolled into town. Pete Doherty and Co made an unforgettable return to one of the most beautifully devoted crowds Manchester has ever witnessed. The audience were raring and ready to relive the nights they had spent listening to these albums on repeat.
Manchester has a reputation for having some of the most passionate crowds, but this was unlike anything else. They weren’t just fans they worshipped the band. These concertgoers, who had travelled from Blackpool, Newcastle and Leeds, had Babyshambles and the Libertines soundtracking their lives, even having the tattoos dedicated to them to show for it.
The support bands were perfectly chosen: The bandits, Trampolene and Ellis murphy brought a smart blend of classic indie and fresh new talent, the same multi-generational mix that Babyshambles themselves were aiming for with this comeback tour.
Then the atmosphere flipped in an instant, as the band hit the stage a sudden surge of bodies raced to the front. Pete Doherty grabbed the mic, gazed out into sea of eager faces and effortlessly launched into “Killamangiro”. One look at him and you knew he was revelling in the fact that after all this time he still had a hold over the 3.5k people present.
From the front barrier to the very back wall, the entire crowd moved as one single wave, united through one shared passion. It was the kind of moment that is incapable of description.
“Delivery”, created the start of a perfect chaos in the crowd which didn’t slow down as the show continued. Down at the front it was a blur of sweat, smoke and beer – thrown, spilled and consumed in equal measure. Everyone was endlessly searching for a minute to catch their breath, but it was near impossible.
The crowd embraced each other as one of their own, complete strangers felt like close friends, all coming together for a celebration of 20+ years of love, memories and music.
Pete dedicated “there she goes” to Amy Winehouse stating with a smile she was an “old Babyshambles drummer – for about 25 seconds” and that the song was originally called “has it got crisps on it?”. Then the iconic bassline shook through the warehouse.
The bands intoxicating enthusiasm never faltered. They were enthralled in the moment of their reunion and the crowd mirrored that energy.
There was an almost manic look on the faces of the crowd, full of life and fire as they bounced around. Everyone was swept up in the chaos; no one was sitting this out.
The band then started playing “What Katie Did” as their intro to “Baddies Boogie”. This was a moment to remember for all the die-hard Libertines fans present that night.
During “Albion” Pete added a personal touch and started naming the different boroughs of Manchester instead of the regular chorus towns.
As Babyshambles left the stage before the encore, the energy dipped and for the first time that night. This gave everyone chance to catch their breath: the calm before the inevitable storm.
They introduced themselves back to the stage with “Pipedown”, then transitioning into a cover of “I Wanna Be Adored”, by the Stone Roses, a sincere tribute to Manchester, the home of music.
F**k Forever was the perfect closing song to such a messy night. People were pulled up off the sticky floor as the audience rammed themselves together and went wild, shoes were lost, crowd surfers were hauled across storm waves of intense enthusiasm. Although this might sound like hell for some, for the people there it was just them exuding a pure and everlasting passion for the band. It didn’t matter who you were or where you were in the crowd (whether you were pressed up against the barricade or bouncing at the back of the audience), you were there, you became one, cemented in a moment that united this group of unlikely people.
Babyshambles have truly come back with a bang.
Taped Magazine 