Babyshambles
Wembley Arena, London
27 November 2007
A wise man once said there's only a very fine line between genius
and maniac but Peter Doherty certainly showed he was the former as he
and his bandmates, collectively known as Babyshambles, were able to
make the transition from back street jazz club to major arena perfectly
and still maintain the 'Shambles element.
Indie five piece Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong kicked off the night but couldn't seem to adapt their frenzied indie rock to fit the arenas which is no surprise considering they are used to playing at much smaller venues. Grimestar Dizzee Rascal hit the stage next and his infectious bars and beats such as 'Flux', 'Jus' A Rascal', and an impressive version of hit 'Stand Up Tall' got the Wembley crowd moving.
The chimes of the theme tune to Steptoe And Son rang out around the WW1 influenced arena as Peter, Drew, Adam and Mik walked out to screams from the fans. 'Carry Up On The Morning' kicked things off, while recent Kinks influenced single 'Delivery' got the crowd going. Doherty, with realms of gold jewellery, dug into the catalogue and pulled out 'Shambles classic 'Beg,Steal Or Borrow' which infamously tells the story of Doherty's dispute with former band member Carl Barat and former manager Alan McGee. Shotters Nation anthem 'Baddie's Boogie' was executed perfectly by the whole band as was 'Unstookietitled'. One of the undoubted highlights of the set was 'Side Of The Road which sent the Wembley crowd into a frenzy with it's stop start riff. 'Youtalk' filled the arena with it's anthemic chants as did older track 'The Blinding'. Guitarist Mik Whitnall stepped into the limelight as he performed ' I Wish' while Doherty showed his genius in a small acoustic three song set which was magnificent.
Hauntingly brilliant versions of 'Lost Art Of Murder' and Libertines classic 'Music When The Lights Go Out' and a brilliant 'There She Goes' showed Doherty's talent over his newspaper headlines. 'Shambles showed they weren't too small for the arena's as they got the whole crowd singing along to Albion, while the show was brought to a close with Mik Whitnall showing he was able to step into Pat Walden's boots but combine with the other band members as 'Pipedown', 'Kilamangiro', 'Back From The Dead', and closing anthem 'Fuck Forever' stole the show for 'Shambles.
Setlist
'Carry On Up The Morning'
'Delivery'
'Beg, Steal Or Borrow'
'Baddie's Boogie'
'UnStookietitled'
'Side Of The Road'
'UnBilotitled'
'The Blinding'
'You Talk'
'Sedative'
'Crumb Begging'
'I Wish'
'Music When The Lights Go Out'
'Lost Art Of Murder'
'There She Goes (A Little Heartache)'
'Albion'
'Pipedown'
'Killamangiro'
'Back From The Dead'
'Fuck Forever'
by Ben Davies
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