Babyshambles: Dandy Hooligan

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A look at Babyshambles’ first release in 12 years, new single Dandy Hooligan. Alfie Sansom reviews…

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They may not be as iconic or legendary as the Libertines, but Babyshambles built up a fiercely loyal fanbase throughout the mid-late 2000s, acting as Peter Doherty’s post-Barât musical soapbox. The band’s reputation for indie excess and hectic performances has probably overshadowed their discography, a catalogue of frenetic guitars and lyrics which, at times, can be classed as some of Doherty’s best. In the twelve years since their last release – a period in which Doherty got clean, the Libertines reunited, and, for some reason, danced for TikTok – a Babyshambles reunion was at the top of every fan’s Christmas list.

Dandy Hooligan is a bittersweet realisation of this wish. Described by Doherty as a ‘reggae-ska-pop song’, the single plods with a reassured, if a bit dopey, swagger, like The Kinks’ Dandy after a spliff. Babyshambles have forayed into these genres before: The Blinding EP’s I Wish bounces like an early Specials track; Stone Me (a Delivery B-side) is a tongue-in-cheek reggae number with a sprinkle of Liquidator. It is wholly pleasant, and while the lyrics are lacking in emotional depth, they do tell a fascinating story of a Robin Hood/Dick Turpin hybrid, a thug with a penchant for hats and half a conscience.

The video sheds more light on the song’s inspiration. Bob Morris, a former ‘National Front basher’, is the star, strutting around Soho and completing acts of varying goodwill: tipping a busker, feeding a homeless man, retrieving a stolen bag. This is spliced with shots of Morris getting dressed in dapper gear; old photos, vintage records and newspaper cuttings of his glory days occasionally come into the fore.

It’s a fitting video, no less for how it reflects Babyshambles’ current position. Everyone will have their expectations of how Babyshambles should sound, and deviating from this imaginary, highly personal standard will be impossibly difficult to avoid entirely. They could rely on what made them a beloved curio – the frantic, the obscene – and risk becoming a grotesque taxidermy of their early incarnation, overstuffed with gross nostalgia.

Dandy Hooligan is exactly the return that the ‘Shambles needed. It’s tunefulness and cohesion doesn’t diminish Doherty’s keen eye for fringe figures, and the short guitar solo, buzzing and whining as it does, gives the track just enough energy to firmly root it into Babyshambles’ discography, rather than as a Puta Madres or solo cut. Is it as good as songs like Albion or Killamangiro? Could it ever be?

Twelve years on, regardless of how it may or may not be received by fervent fans, this single is a reminder, a confirmation that those good old days have passed. But, then again, maybe there were no good old days.

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All words by Alfie Sansom. This is Alfie’s first review for Louder Than War.