Babyshambles is the post-Libertines band fronted by Pete Doherty. The band was known for unpredictable performances, but their December 2004 concert in Blackpool became a moment of chaos. The show quickly spiraled out of control. According to NME, what was meant to be a regular gig turned into one of the band’s most infamous nights.
What Happened at the Blackpool Show?
Doherty appeared unstable from the moment the concert began. He was struggling to remember lyrics and nearly falling asleep on stage. Concerned bandmates attempted to hold the performance together, but as his condition worsened, the guitarist left first, followed by the rest of the band.
Doherty continued playing acoustic guitar alone, and he was seemingly unaware of the situation.
As per NME, one fan recalled, “Everyone can see he wasn’t well. Pete was looking really bad, forgetting his lines and almost falling to sleep. Members of the band kept having a word in his ear but a few songs in the guitarist just got fed up and left. The rest of the band followed and Pete tried to play on his acoustic.”
Security was eventually forced to escort Doherty off the stage in a headlock, and frustrated fans booed and threw bottles. The band attempted to return for a few more songs, including ‘Killamangiro,’ but tensions remained high throughout the night.
Another fan said, “After about half an hour of the set someone came on and eventually dragged him offstage in a headlock to a chorus of boos. When they came back on the crowd were really angry. They were throwing bottles at the stage and shouting abuse but the band carried on and played a couple of songs including ‘Killamangiro.’ The band went offstage again and Doherty followed them shortly after.”
Babyshambles’ London Astoria Show Continued the Chaos
Later in the night, Doherty returned around midnight in an attempt to salvage the show by playing Libertines songs. Instead, things only grew more chaotic. At one point, he ripped off his shirt, climbed the speakers, and dived into the crowd.
One of the fans who was present at that day recalled, “The crowd were getting more and more pissed off at this point and people started leaving. When he came back on at about midnight, he started playing a few Libertines tracks and he seemed to come round again. They tried to get him off again. But Pete tore his T-shirt off and dived into the crowd. He then climbed on the speakers. He was going mad. He didn’t have a clue what he was doing.”
The chaos surrounding Babyshambles was not limited to Blackpool. At a London Astoria show just weeks later, Doherty failed to appear at all. Frustrated fans stormed the stage end damaged the band’s equipment — including drummer Gemma Clarke’s drum kit. These back-to-back disastrous performances led to Clarke leaving the band in January 2005.
The Fallout and Babyshambles’ Unlikely Success
Babyshambles remained commercially successful after the incident. Their single ‘Killamangiro’ reached No. 8 on the UK charts.
According to The Libertines Archive, Doherty’s erratic state that night was due to sleeping pills, not harder drugs, as many suspected. This provided some context, but it did little to ease concerns about his ongoing substance abuse. Author Steve Cummins later documented how Doherty’s pale skin, needle marks, and worsening condition painted a troubling picture of his physical and mental decline.
Babyshambles continued despite these issues. Adam Ficek replaced Gemma Clarke as drummer for the following years. Doherty thinks Babyshambles can return this year, too.
