- Music
- 13 Jan 05
2004 was an extraordinary and chaotic year in the life of Pete Doherty. Having made the running as front man with The Libertines, he was sacked from the band. His heroin addiction public, he careened into all manner of potentially damaging conflicts. When he re-emerged recently with Babyshambles, the hope was that he might have begun to clean up his act. But when hotpress finally caught up with him in Dublin, on the final date of the band's tour of the UK and Ireland, we were witness to some truly bizarre and troubling scenes. [Frontline report: Steve Cummins]
Plus: Amid rumour and counter rumour concerning the future of the band, Libertines drummer Gary Powell offers a no holds barred view of the damage inflicted by Pete Doherty's heroin addiction on the career of a band that had the world at its feet. [Interview: Paul Nolan]
It’s an hour and a half since Babyshambles’ first Irish performance ended in a chaotic stage invasion. I’m standing in the rain trying to piece together how I’ve landed here, the side of the road by Dublin airport. Behind me the Babyshambles tour bus is starting its engine. As it pulls out onto the motorway heading north to Belfast where the band will board the ferry back to the UK, Pete Doherty pulls back the curtain and makes a gesture to say we’ll talk on the phone before giving me the thumbs up. I flag down a taxi.
The Libertines: The Show Must Go On: