Babyshambles' Adam Ficek pays tribute to late bandmate Patrick Walden following London date on comeback tour

Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek has paid tribute to the band’s late former guitarist Patrick Walden following the group’s London date at Brixton Academy.

Writing on Instagram after the show, Ficek described the night as “bittersweet,” admitting he felt “nervous to the point of feeling dissociated.”

The Brixton gig marked a symbolic and emotional moment for the band, who are returning to the stage for the first time since Walden’s death earlier this year.

“This show was a big one for me,” Ficek wrote. “Thick with grief and the multi-coloured emotional rollercoaster that loss invites. Deep deep sadness, anger, and a big hole reminding me of the unfairness and inevitability of life.”

He went on to pay tribute to Walden, calling him “an incredibly sensitive, fragile, beautifully volatile, daft bastard,” adding: “I will always miss you dearly. I wish you could have been there tonight.”

Ficek said the Brixton date marked “an important part of my own and the band’s grieving process,” thanking the crowd for giving Walden “a very special send-off.”

He closed his message with a declaration of renewal: “Babyshambles now, not then. We NOW begin the tour.”

 

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Walden, who died earlier this year at the age of 46, was Babyshambles’ original lead guitarist and co-wrote several tracks on the band’s 2005 debut Down in Albion, including ‘Fuck Forever’, ‘Pipedown’ and ‘Loyalty Song’.

He performed with the group following its formation by Pete Doherty in 2004 and remained an occasional presence at live shows after his departure.

Babyshambles are currently on a UK reunion tour, their first in more than a decade. The band recently released ‘Dandy-Hooligan’, their first new song in 12 years, and announced a 20th-anniversary edition of Down in Albion, due for release on December 12.