Babyshambles: A delivery of indie-fuelled nostalgia for Birmingham’s 02 Academy

Babyshambles are back and are giving their all especially last night to a crowd full of brummies’ in celebration of the sixth night of their 11-year-hiatus reunion tour.

It’s been 20 years since the release of the Shambles’ debut album Down in Albion but it was clear last night that to fans, it’s still a favourite and rightly so.

Playing over 20 songs, covering ‘I wanna be adored’ by The Stone Roses, ‘What Katie Did’ by The Libertines and singing a verse of the Amy Winehouse special,  ‘Tears dry on their own’, the crowd were reminded of the broad musical spectrum the band manages to master so well.

The group started their tour off in Norwich and will conclude their short journey around the UK, in Plymouth, the week before Christmas.

They’re joined on the road by over 15 supporting acts, offering different talents at each venue.

Kickstarting the night was a set from Junior Brother, an Irish folk band who glowed with confidence and began the show with traditional vocal sounding ballads.

Charles Bueller followed and stood out with his strikingly similar twangs as Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner, further emphasising the slow and beauteous side of music.

The third of the support was punk-rock act GANS who were absolutely incredible.

The way they engaged with the crowd made it feel like they’d been playing live for years.

The confidence, the skill and the humour all made the two-piece shine and they were definitely the right band to serve as the ‘one before the main’.

The night only went up from there.

As Babyshambles took to the stage, you could feel the anticipation bubbling throughout the crowd.

Of course the first song the group played was their popular indie tune, Killamangiro: A song that I’ve been wanting to hear perform for years- and they did not disappoint.

Playing a song live to an audience and having it sound the same as the recorded track is a hard skill to master but the boys did it effortlessly and the catchy rhythm alongside the thought-provoking lyrics radiated through the venue, it was a pleasure to not only hear it, but feel it too.

Next came Delivery, another well-loved and popular song among the fans.

The crowd danced and wrapped arms around each other whilst all singing in usion- a connection that only live music brings especially when surrounded by fans who love the people playing in front of them as much as each other.

They then continued to play a flawless setlist including their ska songs such as ‘I wish’ which got almost everyone in the audience skanking and their more slow beat songs like ‘Dandy Hooligan’ where Pete’s musky voice sounded immense.

The tour came as a surprise to many fans after the death of guitarist Patrick Walden and of course the band had to incorporate him in some way and paid their tributes by playing another fan favourite ‘Pipe down’ in honour of him.

Shambles also dedicated a song to the late Amy Winehouse who was a good friend of Pete’s and this touched every member of the crowd and sent goosebumps down my arms- it was a lovely act.

Overall, the night couldn’t have been better.

Pete’s vocals were on top of their game and he really seemed at home on the stage which was a lot different to the way he was when I saw him with The Libertines this time last year.

The next few weeks are going to be exciting for all Shambles fans.

It will interesting to see which other surprises they pull out for their fans but for now, we know for certain they’re still just as good as they always have been.