Babyshambles to reissue classic ‘Down In Albion’ for 20th anniversary

Babyshambles are remastering and reissuing their classic album ‘Down In Albion’ for its 20th anniversary.

• READ MORE: Babyshambles tell us about reuniting for UK tour: “We have to do this now”
  

Originally released in November 2005, the album marked the band’s first first full length record, and contained fan-favourites like ‘Fuck Forever’, ‘Kilimanjaro’, ‘In Love With A Feeling’, ‘Albion’ and more’.

To celebrate two decades since it first arrived, Pete Doherty and co. are reissuing it, and have expanded it to include a number of sessions tracks, rarities and b-sides from the time. Set for release via Rough Trade Records on December 12, it will be available on limited edition cream-coloured vinyl, and a blue-coloured vinyl edition will only be available via the Babyshambles and Rough Trade Records webstores. Pre-order it here.

Accompanying the original 16 songs on the tracklist, the 2025 edition will come with five carefully chosen songs from the band’s archives.

‘Gang Of Gin’ and ‘352 Days’ were recorded around the time of the album, and considered as possible b-sides but never officially released. Also making the remastered edition is ‘Why Did You Break My Heart/Piracy’ which featured on the flip side of the single release of ‘Albion’.

Completing the new additions are ’Do You Know Me’ and ‘My Darling Clementine’, which are both taken from the 2004 appearance on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show.

Also in the new release, the band pay tribute to late guitarist Patrick Walden, who passed away earlier this year. They have done this by adding his portrait, photographed by Hedi Slimane, to the sleeve using a special UV gloss. On top of that, on a very limited number of copies Doherty will personally recreate the hand-draw artwork he sketched out for the album’s first release.

“A beloved and beautiful man, and a rare and remarkable musical talent, ‘Down in Albion’ is perhaps Patrick Walden‘s finest hour as a guitarist and composer,” said the singer, dedicating this new edition to his late bandmate, “Let it ring out!”

The ‘Down In Albion’ reissue tracklist is:

Record One, Side One
1. ‘La Belle et La Bete’
2. ‘Fuck Forever’
3. ‘A’rebours’
4.’The 32nd Of December’
5. ‘Pipedown’
6. ‘Sticks and Stones’

Record One, Side Two
1. ‘Killamangiro’
2. ‘8 Dead Boys’
3. ‘In Love with a Feeling’
4. ‘Pentonville’
5. ‘What Katy Did Next’

Record Two, Side One
1. ‘Albion’
2. ‘Back From The Dead’
3. ‘Loyalty Song’
4. ‘Up the Morning’
5. ‘Merry Go Round’

Record Two, Side Two
1. ‘Gang Of Gin’
2. ‘352 Days’
3. ‘Do You Know Me – Radio 1 Session’
4. ‘My Darling Clementine – Radio 1 Session’
5. ‘Why Did You Break My Heart/Piracy’

Babyshambes formed in 2003 when Doherty was briefly told to take time from The Libertines as he grappled with substance abuse, and the band evolved into an alternative creative outlet. Forming the band with him was bassist Drew McConnell, drummer Adam Ficek and lead guitarist Walden.

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Since sharing their 2005 debut album, Babyshambles have released two more Top 10 albums: 2007’s ‘Shotter’s Nation’ and 2013’s ‘Sequel To The Prequel’.

The line-up now consists of Doherty, McConnell, Ficek and guitarist Mick Whitnall, who joined the band in 2006. They will head on tour later this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album. Check out a list of shows below and visit here for tickets.

Babyshambles 2025 tour dates are:

NOVEMBER
13 – Coventry, HMV Empire
14 – Norwich, UEA, The Nick Rayns LCR
16 – London, Brixton Academy – SOLD OUT
24 – Oxford, O2 Academy
25 – Stoke, Keele SU
26 – Birmingham, O2 Academy
27 – Cardiff, Tramshed
29 – Liverpool, De Montford Hall
30 – Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse

DECEMBER
1 – Middlesbrough, Empire
2 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall
4 – Glasgow, O2 Academy – SOLD OUT
5 – Glasgow, O2 Academy
7 – Leeds, O2 Academy
8 – Nottingham, Rock City
9 – Bristol, O2 Academy
15 – London, KOKO

That tour was announced last month and marks their first in 11 years. The indie veterans had long been teasing a comeback before then, and even had a brief reunion at Pete Doherty solo show last year.

Speaking to NME exclusively about their forthcoming tour dates, Doherty explained that the reunion only became possible once he and Whitnall had both been clean for a number of years. “There was always talk about it; there was always a desire to play those songs again,” he explained.

“But the centrifugal point of it was addiction really, and the danger that me and Mick would be an unhealthy influence on each other. So it was people around us not wanting to meet up and probably us both knowing that it wasn’t a good idea.”

The band also shared that Walden, who passed away in June, was meant to be involved in the reunion, and revealed that his death was “a real trigger to get it done”.

“My first thought was of just seeing his face up there while we’re playing and that’ll be an important part of it,” the singer continued.

Speaking about the future of the band and if fans can have hopes for more music, he said: “I really hope so. When we do the bigger shows, it’d be nice to release a single and a couple of B sides. I’ve got a couple of ideas and when we get in a room, we’ll try them out.

“I think that’ll be healthy to play some brand new stuff. I’ve got a couple of belters that have come out of nowhere like gifts from gods. There’s one in particular, ‘Dandy Hooligan’ – a ‘Stone Me What A Life’ sort of Shambles, rocksteady jig – that could be a good old time.”

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