Pete Doherty: "Apart from embarrassing myself a little bit - even Ian Brown can't get some of those notes anymore - it was cool."

"We've managed to steady the ship in a lot of ways. There's no crack and there's no heroin. I know that's not necessarily enough but for now it's a good place to come from. We're looking to move beyond that as well. I think no spirits might be the next step. There's whispers of being alcohol free.

“We’re spending a lot more time together than we used to when it would be different factions. You know, the drugs faction which would be me and whoever was on guitar, and the rhythm section, Drew and Adam, who were a bit more reliable and made sure we got everywhere and avoided arrest. They weren’t terribly successful but they did their best, god bless ‘em. Now we’re on the same page-ish.”

So says Pete Doherty in our recent hotpress.com interview which preceded Babyshambles’ belter of a show in Vicar St. That the 47-year-old is happy and healthier than he has been in decades is in no small part due to long-acting injectable buprenorphine, available in Ireland under the brand name Buvidal. It can help to reduce cravings and prevent withdrawal symptoms without the need for daily medication.

Talking about it in the latest episode of our Dealing With Drugs podcast, Pete says, “I’ve been using that for six years now. I get my shot every six weeks and, for the people around me especially, it throws all the danger out of the window. Even if you’re feeling strong or god forbid better, temptation can always arise. It just neutralises that threat completely. Without it I don’t know where I’d be. It used to be that you had a bloody great big implant under your skin but now it’s one shot and it blocks everything.”

This summer found Pete headlining the drug and alcohol-free Recovery festival in Glasgow. How did that go? “It was a very positive experience!” he enthuses. “It was nice to talk to the Recovery Collective about what they’re doing on the streets of Glasgow with their emergency vans. Changing people’s lives if that’s what they’re ready for.

“A Stone Roses covers band made up of ex-addicts was on before me and they dragged me up for a couple of songs. Apart from embarrassing myself a little bit – even Ian Brown can’t get some of those notes any more – it was cool. We did ‘I Am The Resurrection’ and I was dancing along for a couple of the others.”

Another reason we’re having a chinwag with Pete on the Babyshambles tour bus is the launch this month of The Pete Doherty Show on YouTube. Shot in and around his beloved Margate,  it finds the singer contemplating the enormity of life with TikTok comedy sensation Josh Pugh.

“I wasn’t that keen to be honest, but ended up really enjoying it,” he confides. “I wanted to meet and work with Josh Pugh. Late at night on the tour bus, one of the lads would bring out a phone and show his little standup routines, which I love. They’re very funny. He’s writing his own sitcom now. You know me, I’ll try anything once!”

Each webisode finds one of the acts signed to Pete’s Strap Originals label performing live in the Dalby Café where Mr. D (in)famously scoffed their gut-busting mega-breakfast in under twenty minutes, thusly getting it for free. Kicking things off are GANS, the Birmingham duo who sound like IDLES on Grade A ecstasy.

“GANS are taking the world by storm,” Pete enthuses. “They’re the pride of our stable. Actually, I say that about everyone we’ve signed to our label including Junior Brother who supported Babyshambles in Ireland and is also on the YouTube show.”

• Watch The Pete Doherty Show now on YouTube.