The Evening Standard (London) (September 30, 2004)

An Evening With Siouxsie

DAVID SMYTH

Tue 5 & Wed 6 Oct 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street, W1 (020-7636 0933)

After the flattering reappraisal that greeted Robert Smith when he returned with the Cure earlier this year, his former bandmate Siouxsie (right) is also gearing up for a major comeback.

Expect younger female firebrands from Melissa Auf der Mar to Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to trumpet her influence with gusto.

Siouxsie And The Banshees split in 1996 (reforming for a nanosecond in 2002), while the singer and her drumming husband Budgie carried on as the Creatures.

They've billed their current tour as 'An Evening With Siouxsie' as they're promising to play both Banshees and Creatures material, as well as highlights from latest album Hai!, recorded with a new band.

This week is a historic one for Siouxsie as she plays at the 100 Club for the first time since 1976, the year she appeared at the venue's now legendary punk all-dayer.

Then it's off to the Festival Hall for Dream Show on Fri 15 and Sat 16 Oct, when the band will perform with the orchestral players of the Millennia Ensemble two prestigious evenings that confirm the singer's current stature. It's a funny logic that dictates the times when musicians fall in and out of favour, but right now Siouxsie is definitely in.

Babyshambles The last time Pete Doherty (above) was due to play this venue, as support to his friend Wolfman in August, his decision not to turn up nearly caused a riot. When I was back at the Scala a few weeks ago, there was still furious graffiti disparaging Wolfman's musical abilities. So the erratic former Libertines star had better showthis time, or risk a mob of fans turning up at his flat with flaming torches and pitchforks.

It's still not clear whether Babyshambles is still Doherty's side project, or his fulltime band. He seems no closer to being accepted back into the Libertines, his last comments on the situation taking the form of a new song, posted online, which criticises co-frontman Carl Barat and manager Alan McGee. But his luck might be changing now that he has escaped a second prison term for carrying a knife and is attempting to beat his drug addiction by moving back in with his parents. It's a frustrating lot being a Doherty fan, but when he does show his face, he remains one of the most grippingly watchable men in rock.

Wed 6 & Thur 7 Oct Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 (020-7833 2022)

Contributed by Jerry Burch.