(Picture: Barnaby Fairley)

Peter Doherty is unquestionably, the best lyricist of his generation, and may just be the last truly great British rock star.

To be in not one, but two of the defining bands of your generation, in The Libertines and Babyshambles, is an achievement reserved for a very very very select few.

And while The Libertines spent the past decade sailing on the good ship Albion, Babyshambles have lied dormant, seemingly waiting for the right time to pounce.Which is why, when the band brought their Dandy Hooligan tour to Leeds, there was a palpable crackle of anticipation that was palpable throughout the venue.

Opening up the set was a blisteringly hot rendition of Killamangiro and with it the energy that had been building finally boiled over. Arms were aloft and lyrics being sung back to the band in way that felt truly special. This was a moment all in attendance had been waiting years for.

Following on from this was Delivery, I Wish, and Sedative with the floor of the venue being a raucous mess throughout. Beg, Steal or Borrow, proved to be a real highlight of the evening, especially as the band blended it into a cover of Waterfall. A fitting tribute to the Stone Roses legend.

There She Goes, Carry On Up the Morning and Baddie’s Boogie all received unbelievable receptions, with the atmosphere inside the venue being one of true celebration. Then the one-two combination on A Rebours and Albion brough feelings on true euphoria, two true anthems of their era being belted out by all those in attendance.

New song Dandy Hooligan closed out the main set, with it feeling right at home in and amongst the familiar chaos before the band soon came back for a truly phenomenal encore.

The Man Who Came to Stay and French Dog Blues are classics, no doubt, but how can you beat the pairing of Pipedown and the classic Fuck Forever? 

Boths tracks blew the roof off the venue and served as reminders that this was no nostalgia trip, but rather a band well and truly at the top of their game.

The time away hasn’t done Babyshambles any harm. In fact the opposite seemed to be true. The shambolic, cheeky charm that they’ve always had still exists, it’s what drives them forward. But there’s a level of maturity within the group that has allowed them to truly gel as a unit.

Babyshambles have got older and wiser, but they definitely haven’t grown up. The debauchery that put them on the map has not gone away as the group continue to produce magic on stage.