September 24, 2007 10:30

Babyshambles: 'We've let people down, but those days are over'

Adam Ficek says cancelled gigs are behind band

Photo Gallery: Babyshambles
Photo: Danny North

Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek has claimed that his band’s days of cancelling gigs and letting down fans are over, and has spoken about his band’s upcoming arena tour dates.

Speaking to Teletext, the drummer said the band were looking forward to their biggest ever tour playing UK arenas this winter.

“It’s a statement of confidence," Ficek said of the dates. “We've let people down by cancelling gigs before. This is us saying that those days are over, that we know we can't muck about any more.”

He added that the band would find the bigger venues a strange experience, saying: “We prefer intimate venues, but this shows that we're popular enough to play them, and that we're good enough too.”

The drummer also spoke about frontman Pete Doherty’s drug problems in relation to the band’s future.

“Peter can take care of business on drugs,” he declared. “But it’s easier when he isn’t [on drugs]. His arrests and the court cases have made it hard for us to find time to write as a band. We're planning the next album, and it’ll be the first one where we’ve had time to properly rehearse songs.”