It sure beats a night in the cells, Pete

Pete Doherty celebrated his freedom exuberantly at his first gig since being charged with robbery and checking into drugs rehab. The Babyshambles singer returned to the stage after a turbulent month - and in typical style left the building shirtless despite the snow. The concert, at the Garage in Islington, ended after just 45 minutes to ensure Doherty kept his 10pm curfew. But it marked a return both to the stage and his previous form.

Doherty's career lurched into crisis as a result of his addiction to crack and heroin, leading to him being sacked from the Libertines, which he co-founded, last year. This month he was charged with robbery and blackmail after an alleged incident in a London hotel and his management was forced to put up £150,000 bail. The singer had appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court for a bail hearing before last night's concert.

Doherty received a rapturous welcome at his first gig, to an audience of just a few hundred, since his arrest and five-day spell in prison. Fans crowded into the concert ahead of tonight's major show at Brixton Academy. Some claimed they could see his drug rehabilitation was beginning to work. One said: "He looked good and he seemed healthy - and could remember all the lyrics. He's put on some weight, he's not as skinny as before."

There was laughter when, after removing his shirt and braces, his trousers nearly fell down. Many fans chanted: "We love you, Pete."

The audience also got a glimpse of his Naltrexone implant, a treatment which combats heroin addiction.

But Doherty smashed his microphone at the end of the set, apparently in frustration at having to leave early.

One fan said: "He was angry by the time he went off stage - it seemed to be because he had to leave due to the curfew. At the end he smashed his mic on the floor, and said 'We are Babyshambles' before rushing out."

Today Doherty's curfew has been extended until midnight to enable him to play a full set in Brixton. The singer, whose lawyers have indicated he will make a not guilty plea, is due back in court on 18 April.