Shockwaves NME Awards Show: Babyshambles, Brixton Academy, Sun Feb 18

The scourge of the mainstream press and the bête noire of people who like their music dully predictable and shrink-wrapped, Pete Doherty has always made it hard for people to be fans of his bands - peppering gigs with no shows and delays. Tonight, he's brought a flurry of new songs to sort the part-time fan from the connoisseur of the Stookie And Jim Bumfest Demos. For those poor souls not quite so up to speed however there was The Libertines’ ‘Time For Heroes’, a mighty blast of ‘Fuck Forever’, ‘La Belle Et La Bête’ (with Kate Moss, sighing her vocals exquisitely) and the presence of Wolfman during ‘For Lovers’, for the first time in an age. Tight and professional, Babyshambles were for once a million miles away from the tabloid perception.