Heave Media

Straight From The Junkie's Heart

The drugs are gone, but the talent is still there. Doherty releases new album.

Babyshambles

Shotter's Nation

Released on Nov 30, -0001

It's been eight weeks now and Pete Doherty's system is completely drug free.

Speaking to BBC News, Doherty's lawyer, Sean Curran, explained that Doherty had taken a drug test as part of his rehab course and had tested negative.

"Pete's doing very, very well - extremely well," he said. "He wants to give himself a chance. The court knows he's tested negative for drugs throughout his residential programme - that's been eight weeks now.

Here in America the only time you heard anything about Pete Doherty was in regards to his tumultuous relationship with model and sometimes singer Kate Moss. Now that the relationship has gone the way of The Libertines, Pete Doherty has found time in between monthly drug busts and arrests to make a slop rock masterpiece called Shotter's Nation.

When The Libertines first hit in the UK; shrines were erected over night to the song writing team of Barat and Doherty. Heralding comparisons to Lennon-McCartney and Morrissey-Marr, British teens now had a band that wrote anthems for the "Indifferent Generation." The Libertines weren't untouchable like Oasis and The Smiths before them, rather Punk squatters that wore their hearts on their sleeves turning lyrics into tattoos. All good things must come to an end. After two gems (Up The Bracket and The Libertines) Barat and Doherty parted ways in a crime ridden, drug induced break up. Carl Barat went on to form Dirty Pretty Things and Doherty to form Babyshambles.

Down In Albion, Babyshambles debut, offered only a couple insights into what Doherty has accomplished with Shotter's Nation. Produced by the experienced ears of Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths, Kaiser Chiefs) Shotter's Nation combines 60's garage pop trash with the balladry of Mid-80's Minnesota sound ala Husker Due and The Replacements. It's not your usual "junkie falls in love, junkie falls out of love album," there's something more at work here.

Posted by Joe Roth on Oct 16, 2007 @ 12:00 am