IT WAS a very professional-looking Pete Doherty who entertained a full house at the Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday night.

After troubles this week - which for once have not involved drugs - with the death of an actor at a party the Babyshambles singer had attended, he would be forgiven for being "out of sorts".

But despite the latest press reports, it is certainly a sign of change when an audience actually expects Doherty to turn up for a gig on time.

Bang on 9pm, a slightly tentative Babyshambles kicked off with their latest single, The Blinding, leading to a cascade of fans trying to buy drinks at the bar abandoning their alcoholic quest and pouring into the massive auditorium not to miss a second of their favourite anti-hero.

As Doherty became more animated and energetic throughout the night, tracks like Killimanjaro and F*ck Forever drew massive cheers from the crowd, and Libertines classics What Katie Did and Time For Heroes - regulars in his sets - were also highlights.

Doherty's undeniably powerful magnetism on stage and the adoration felt by his fans led people to actually throw hats, jackets and all sorts of jewellery on stage, in the vain hope the ex-Libertine would don some of the garments.

Rifling through tracks from the band's debut album, Down In Albion, there was less of the mania which accompanied previous Babyshambles performances.

Five years ago, a Libertines gig would not be complete without a number of stage-crashers jumping around with the band but nowadays, with Doherty the celebrity he is, security was infinitely more "robust".

When one actually did get on stage, despite Doherty's willingness to embrace the enraptured fan, he had approximately ten seconds to soak up his success before being bundled away by three heavies, never to be seen again.

Doherty, it seems, has become untouchable, in more ways than one.

The chasm between his new love, Babyshambles, and former bandmate Carl Barat's Dirty Pretty Things, is growing daily and adds to the sense that the singer, despite his almost weekly stops by the police, is finally realising his purpose in life.

His love of all things Albion is so heartwarming and honest it is almost transcendental. From his clothes and vocal stylings, to his almost Clash-like appreciation of dub rhythms and hints of syncopated ska grooves - aside from the anthemic choruses and the feeling of liberation and passion his music engenders - Doherty speaks to the people through poetry in a way that makes other pop stars appear crude and uninspiring.

And despite the customary Libertines reminiscences, Albion, the last song of the night, symbolised how far Doherty has come since his those early days.

With the whole venue singing along to lines such as: "Talk over gin in teacups / And leaves on the lawn. / Violence in bus stops / And the pale thin girl with eyes forlorn", it seems Babyshambles are destined to go where the Libertines threatened to, but could not.

Doherty is the indie version of Mike Skinner, or the 21st Century Bob Dylan.

Halfway through the set, he paid tribute to his lawyer, saying: "This is for Sean Curran and all the good work he's done recently."

And in what has almost become a trademark exit, Doherty threw his guitar into the crowd, giving one lucky fan an early Christmas present.

A five-song encore was greatly appreciated by the crowd, who were all set for a second, until a disturbance near the front of the stage meant the lights were turned on leaving people unsure what was happening and resulting in everybody trudging to the exit amid a cachophany of boos for the security men.

Despite that minor disappointment, Doherty, the epitome of a modern-day rock star, left the stage topless in a blaze of glory, leaving fans demanding more.

He evokes an England which we would all like to share with him and on Thursday, for an hour-and-a-half, we did.