Pete Doherty is not in a hurry to release a new album, he would rather open a second-hand store full of typewriters in France
Pete Doherty talks to NME about the unexpected success of Babyshambles' reunion tour, the live album released in October, and The Libertines' mysterious new album plans - but what he wants to do most now is actually open a French second-hand shop.
Pete Doherty's warehouse in Normandy, France, is filled with records, old clothes, typewriters, mannequins, boxes of books and suitcases - all of which were recently moved from Margate. He told NME that rather than releasing a new album right away, he'd rather move the stuff into a second-hand store. "I don't feel like I have to make a new album right now, it's not on my list of things to do right now."
Behind this sentence is the unexpected success of Babyshambles' reunion tour. After the death of original guitarist Patrick Walden, the band reunited for the first time in more than ten years and held a finale at KOKO in London last December. Carl Barât made a guest appearance on The Libertines' "What Katie Did", and the band also performed "Wolfman" for the first time in twenty years. That performance was later included in the live album "Live At KOKO", which will be released on October 9 through Doherty's own label Strap Originals.
"Compared to our expectations, this tour was a great success. I was a little worried at first. I didn't know if people were still interested, and I didn't realize what this band meant to so many people." Doherty recalled that the atmosphere at the Norwich UEA stop, which officially kicked off the tour, was very good. "Everyone sang every lyric. The energy was very strong and the sound was clean and bright." He said that this tour did not have the "chaos that became legendary" scenes like in the past. "For us, it is important to perform the songs well and be worthy of Pat and the songs he wrote." As for the KOKO recording included in the album, he admitted that it was actually the worst performance of the tour - "The recording time was almost at the end of the four-week tour, and we were already a little overwhelmed by that time."
He doesn't mention it every time, but Doherty said he often mentions Patrick Walden before performing "Fuck Forever" or "Pipedown." "Every time I say Pat, I turn to look at bassist Drew McConnell, and he turns away emotionally. It's not a sad state all the time, but sometimes it still hits you."
The band currently has some prototypes of new songs. Doherty said that the single "Dandy Hooligan" knew it belonged to the Babyshambles as soon as it was written, but other ideas "whether it should be given to the Shambles or The Libertines are still very open." He describes this as a pressure-free position - "We are not affiliated with any label or contract, we are our own autonomous group in the music industry." The criteria for judging used to be simple: play it to Carl Barât first. If he doesn't think he's qualified enough to join The Libertines, Doherty will keep it for himself. He laughed and said that this method sometimes works the other way around. For example, he always felt that "Glory Days", a collaboration with The Jackals, should be a Libertines-level song. "I told him several times, but he ended up writing a bunch of copies of "Glory Days" himself."
What also impressed Doherty was the young faces that appeared on the tour - some fans brought their children to the show, and the names or nicknames of the band members were hidden in the children's names. "There are a lot of kids named Peter, Mick, and Drew out there. There are just as many young faces as before. I like that."
More than a new album, he wants a shop called "Brocante Roll"
Asked if the craze would make him want to work on a new album, Doherty's answer turned elsewhere. He said that he moved all his belongings piled up in Margate into a large warehouse in Normandy. "Records, clothes, typewriters, mannequins, books, suitcases, I really have too much stuff." He envisioned not just a store, but "a living organism" - someone who knew the local council, also wanted to use his long-term relationship with the stray dog shelter to exchange for a flexible license, open a corner cafe or a small live house, and have bands under the Strap Originals label perform, so that customers can hang out, chat, and buy books. The name of the store has not been finalized yet. He lives in the French town of Étretat. His ideas include homophonic "Étre Tat" or "Étre Tatty", and he also considered naming it "Brocante Roll" after the French word for "second-hand store" Brocante.
As for The Libertines' new album, which the outside world is more concerned about, Doherty confirmed that there is indeed progress - although he described it as a "seductive and gorgeous plan" in an interview with NME in Glastonbury last year, but in fact it was just a casual mention at the time. "That was a lie to you, but now it's true." The turning point happened in a hotel in Manchester. The band members had an impromptu meeting before the Kendal Calling performance. Bassist John Hassall said, "Pete, listen, we've discussed it..." with such a serious tone that he thought he was going to be kicked out of the band again. It turned out that what the other party came up with was a new album idea. Doherty said that he has always rejected the idea of "concept albums", but this time the team rarely reached a consensus before writing songs. "Democracy has finally worked in this band." As for the specific content, he kept it secret: "I really want to tell you that this idea is very interesting, but I will be in trouble if I tell you."
Before these plans come to fruition, Babyshambles will be the finale at Dreamland in Margate tonight (Sunday, August 30), sharing the stage with Big Special, Warmduscher, Pregoblin, Real Farmer, and Gans. "Live At KOKO" is expected to be released on October 9.