Adam Ficek of Babyshambles

Speaking with drummer Adam Ficek, we find out about life in Babyshambles and the group's new album Shotter's Nation.

You just performed your penultimate gig; how are you feeling about that? Relieved or excited?

Adam: A mixture of both really, a bit tired. We don’t really rehearse or practise, so when we have tours of this level it knocks you for six.

What’s the best gig you’ve played so far in the tour?

Adam: Wembley Arena in London, because it’s our home town. It’s got a lot of specialness attached to it. It’s nice to be able to do it. It’s good to be in a band where you can do that kind of stuff, yet still go and play 50-capacity pubs. So yeah it’s been good to stretch our wings a bit that way but we’ll always go back to playing small venues.

When can we see you back in your smaller venues?

Adam: Everyone’s been really tired, so probably about December time.

What is the creative process behind Babyshambles?

Adam: I do all the writing, and I’m in charge of everything. But I kind of just sub-contract it out, you know. I do all the main writing and the bulk of all the art.

And let Pete take all the glory..?

Adam: Yeah, that's the kind of guy I am.

<laughs>

The media’s talked about Shotter's Nation being a lot more cleanly produced than Down in Albion. Was this a conscious choice?

Adam: It wasn’t a conscious choice. If you’re going to make a good album I think a producer like Stephen Street was always going to make an album slightly more glossy than Down in Albion. Mick Jones has got his way of producing. And at the time I think there was a lot of raw emotions flowing about in Down in Albion; the band was pretty raw: prison sentences, deaths and all sorts. So it was different, Shotter's Nation was all more together. Stephen’s got a different way of producing, and without him cracking the whip it wouldn’t have sounded like it did.

And there’s some great tracks on Shotter's Nation. Personally, what’s your favourite track that you enjoy playing on the tour?

Adam: Unstookie Titled and UnBiloTitled are my favourites, because I wrote them.

What was it like working with a man like Mick Jones, with such a creative history?

Adam: I think with most people when you get to meet someone you know as personality all that pre-history goes out the window. You start to look at them as a human being rather than someone you might have held in a different kind of light. Yeah, so yeah I mean it was great and we’re all fans of The Clash, but as soon as you get to know Mick you forget about all that pretence and you just get on with them as a normal producer or a friend.

Which of your previous two albums do you prefer?

Adam: They’re both kind of...it’s like two children, isn’t it? You can’t have a favourite! Down in Albion was a picture of where we were at at the time. Shotter's Nation is a slightly more glossy picture of where we were at at the time. I think the songs were more formed during Shotter's Nation, but then Down in Albion’s got a certain raw chant to it which I think is going to be quite timeless. So I don’t know, they’re both loved for different reasons.

What was it like playing Glastonbury earlier this year?

Adam: Shit! I hate playing Glastonbury Festival. I don’t like it. I think Glastonbury’s got really corporate, I don’t think it’s actually got the essence of why it started. The tickets are overpriced and it’s turned into a real corporate affair. I’m not saying it’s shit; it’s great to play any big festival and there’s gonna be a lot of fans there - we appreciate that. But I think the true essence of that free spirited, almost hippy festival; it’s gone out the window with that festival now.

So what’s your ideal festival?

Adam: If I could play any festival it would probably be something like the Green Man; something which is more traditional. There were some places in Glastonbury which were really good, like the acoustic stage Peter played the following day. It was much better, because you’ve got real music fans up there and people are there just to have a good time rather than come, scratch their chins, and have a dirty weekend – get muddy and take loads of drugs – then go back to their City jobs on the Monday. I think that’s what it’s turned in to...

Do you feel like that about all the festivals?

Adam: I’m gonna get slaughtered in the press for this, aren’t I!? The concept of festivals are good, I just think there are a lot of festivals at the moment which have become slightly diluted. Yeah, and not necessarily about the true essence and spirit of the festival that it should be about: people getting together, listening to music and having a good time. It’s maybe turned slightly towards a corporate event I think. Glastonbury, thinking of the fields...the Kings of Leon said they’d never play Glastonbury because of the damage it does to agriculture in the area.

Would you say you prefer the smaller, more intimate, venues?

Adam: It’s nice to be able to do the big venues. You can flex your musical muscles and say “look what we can do” as Babyshambles. Personally I prefer playing the smaller venues; I like to see the whites of peoples’ eyes when they’re watching us. We don’t get to see that until we move across the stage and see peoples’ faces. Sometimes these places can be a bit sterile: you walk around and you don’t see anyone, you know. You’re on stage, then you get shipped off through a million alleyways, and you’re in the back of a car and it’s gone. There’s no personal communication there really.

Other than music what are your passions?

Adam: I like fighting, ruling. I do a lot of Martial Arts, it’s just nice to keep fit like that, and to have a different passion aside from music which keeps you grounded as well. Yeah, I could swan around in the pubs and clubs in Soho, pouting about...I think ultimately it’s not really about that though. I’ve got a really bad knee because of a kick-boxing accident about 12 years ago, in a competition. But now I do much milder stuff like Aikido, but you can still get a few cuts and scratches from it.

Out of all the things you’ve done in Babyshambles what do you think will be your defining moment?

Adam: I think recently, Wembley Arena. Everyone doubted us and thought we were gonna go there and fall on our arses. Wembley was great; it was like the pinnacle of the tour for us. That and Glasgow. The thing is, you go up to Scotland and everyone wants to have a good time. Scotland’s gonna be the maximum amount of people we’re going to play to. But Scottish people are always there to have a good time, whereas in London there are a lot of people there waiting for you to fall and to attack; especially certain musical publications in this country ... who are always misquoting, and always paraphrasing, and they should be fucking taken to the cleaners.

What’s next for Babyshambles?

Adam: We’ve got an MP3 of a couple of new songs we’ve done. We’ve done it at Bournemouth and we’re gonna put those online. But we’ve all got our little sites where we develop songs, and we post them to the band. We’re all doing writing at the moment; they just come together and we’re gonna start doing some writing next week, so...

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