Pete Doherty showed the world he can do it without the drugs as he opened the first night of the Babyshambles Arena Tour in Manchester last night."It's hard doing this sober," he told fans who were treated to a rare display of just how talented Doherty really is when he's not staggering around half dead.The former Libertines rocker and his band mates revved up the excited crowd with tracks from their latest album 'Shotters Nation' mixed in with some favourites including 'Killamangiro', 'Albion' and 'The Blinding'.After a mix up with the encore- Pete left the stage with the rest of the band and seemed a bit confused about the running order but came back on and took to centre stage alone- he gave a heartfelt performance of 'Lost Art of Murder' that had an eery but moving feel in the massive Manchester Evening News venue.The silenced, awe inspired crowd were then brought back to life as he burst into an acapella version of 'Build Me Up Buttercup' by The Foundations before rounding off the night with the popular 'Fuck Forever', which had fans practically exploding with excitement.A mention must also go to the support. Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong are definitely a band to watch- if not just for lead singer Joe's comical Jarvis Cocker-esque dance moves. They were followed by a strange but suprisingly entertaining choice of Dizzee Rascal- who seemed to bring his own legion of hip-hop loving, tracksuit-clad fans.Ticket sales for Babyshambles first arena tour have been slow and the MEN was only half full but the enthusiasm of the Doherty worshipping army of fans made the venue feel almost full.
There's no denying that Babyshambles with Doherty present in body AND mind are even better than expected. Let's just hope their lead singer can stay sober long enough to realise the huge potential he has to be even bigger than the hype that surrounds him.
The tour continues tonight at Newcastle's Metro Arena, before heading to:
Brighton Centre (25)
Bournemouth International Centre (26)
London Wembley Arena (27)
Birmingham NIA (28)
Nottingham Arena (30)
Glasgow SECC (December 1)
Caz Moss- Female First
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