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Pete grabs £1m record deal
By Alistair Foster, London Lite 18.01.07
Not a 'Shambles: the singer and his band have signed a Parlophone deal
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Until recently he was most famous for being Kate Moss's druggie boyfriend.
But now Pete Doherty seems to have come out of her shadow with a sensational £1 million record deal with Parlophone. The Lite can exclusively reveal that his band Babyshambles signed a three-album deal yesterday.
This marks a dramatic turnaround for Pete, 27, who has given little more than chaotic glimpses of his potential as a recording star.
Last night he celebrated with a watershed show in Whitechapel, where, for the first time in ages, he earned rave reviews - and even appeared onstage on time.
The show followed an appearance at Thames Magistrates' Court earlier in the day, where Doherty was praised by a judge for his progress in beating drug addiction. Parlophone, which is owned by EMI, licensed the band's The Blinding EP in August and was biding its time before offering a longer-term deal.
A source close to the band said: "Parlophone hasn't even mentioned Pete's drug taking. There are no lifestyle clauses in the contract, so it hasn't put any extra pressure on Pete to give up drugs.
"Parlophone realised Pete has a loyal fanbase and the band were receiving lots of attention. There was a bidding war between several labels. Pete is delighted - The Beatles were with Parlophone - which means a lot to him." But the label has a get-out clause. The source added: "They could pull the plug at any moment."
Fans may be relieved to hear Pete isn't fully reformed. He may have called it a night just after midnight yesterday during Kate's epic 33rd birthday celebrations - but by that time he had to be virtually carried out of the Dorchester.
Reader views (4)
Sorry mates, but this guy is a waste of space.
Libertines had a few good songs, BS had none.
The Kid's gone haywire and to give him money is a crime.
He should be locked up in a shed in the Himalayas for a year untill he gets clean.
If you put all his good songs together they wouldn't fill an EP.
So what the Fuzz?
P.S.: Libertines were cool, but he ruined it!
- Carl, UK, London
Hopefully this is a sign that he is sorting himself out and get back to the good old days.
When I saw the Libertines play the Forum, they brought the place to its knees!
- Terry Silver, London
This is great news for all his fans and London in general. Rule 1 for him has to be to keep the record company happy though.
- Harry Dealer, London
Excellent news, hopefully this will see Pete fulfilling his undoubted potential.
- Ben Maskell, London
