Ebb back

Here's something of a curiosity:



That would be Nitzer Ebb, during one of their very first gigs - Romford, sometime in 1984. It's a gift to YouTube from early Ebb manager Chris Piper, who has lifted a couple of songs from an old VHS.

As I was going down the stairs, I saw a man who wasn't there

There's a great exclusive in Rupert Murdoch's freesheet TheLondonPaper, which seems to have been the only paper at Pete Doherty's solo Romford gig:

A very bitter end for lovelorn Pete Doherty Monday, 30 July 2007 Forget big, star-studded comebacks. Pete ­Doherty celebrated leaving rehab in Harrogate this weekend with a secret gig on Saturday night.

And where did he choose to play? A small pub in Romford, Essex, called The Bitter End.

During the short acoustic set, Pete belted out a couple of ­Babyshambles classics, but also showcased new material.

“Pete was looking the best he’s been for ages,” a source tells theBuzz. “He seemed really on top of it. He was joking about a drug addiction patch on his stomach.”

While there was no sign of his ex, Kate Moss, Pete had plenty of female fans to look at.

Indeed, not only were there no other papers present to see the gig, even Pete Doherty wasn't there. he'd pulled it last week, as confirmed on the venue's MySpace:

Dear All,

Due to unforeseen circumstances the 'Special Guest' for tonight's show is incredibly unlikely to turn up. The venue will still be open as normal and there are still some great acts to see.

I am sorry that I was not able to do the 'Big Reveal' on Wednesday. This was due to us holding out for an answer….

Refunds are available behind the bar for those that wish to get there money back.

So... who was this 'source' reporting on how well Pete looked, then? Doris Stokes?

[Big thanks to Rob Graver]