Edinburgh’s O2 Academy is the last stop on The Charlatans‘ 30th Anniversary tour and tonight they deliver a triumphant groove of soulful, psychedelic indie rock driven by the relentless charm of vocalist and frontman Tim Burgess.
Martin Carr & What Future are first up, providing the evening’s support with a short, shiny jangle of melodic numbers. Carr, former guitarist and songwriter for The Boo Radleys, tops off the set with the Boos’ colourful Lazarus.
As The Charlatans take up their spots, the contemplative slow burn of Forever’s dark, meandering organ melds into Martin Blunt’s looming bass as a spine-tingling surge of anticipation sweeps over the audience. Backlit projections add a fuzz of nostalgia with clips and snaps narrating the journey that brought them to this 30th or rather 32nd anniversary celebration. It’s also a poignant nod to keyboardist Rob Collins and drummer Jon Brookes, tragically gone too soon.
Burgess casually saunters onto the stage, the Twitter Listening Party genius a modern day saviour in festive knitwear. His love of the jumper and cardi is such that tonight’s woolly number is rumoured to get its own bunk on the Caledonian Sleeper down to London later on, and really, why the heck not? With a bowl-heid of blond and cheeks rosier than BP’s profit forecast, I half expect Burgess to tear about the stage with aeroplane arms or wheelie around on a Grifter. His grin almost reaches the wings as he thrives on the crowd’s reactions and interactions, and I find myself smiling like a proud aunt. Ok scratch that, old Burgess has a few years on me but if that’s what years of rock ’n’ roll debauchery have done to him, heaven knows how fresh-faced he’d be if he’d taken the work from home route and lounged about eating cheese for the last three decades.
Founder member Blunt, decked out in a J’adore La Bass t-shirt, remains straight faced for most of the evening but ripples of pride and appreciation break through now and then as he strides back and forth, drinking in the audience’s frenzied enthusiasm. Guitarist Mark Collins is upbeat under that hefty mod ‘do meanwhile Tony Rogers is in his element, cornered by all things keyboard. Over on drums is The Verve’s Pete Salisbury, a long term member of the touring entity of The Charlatans, though the position’s never been permanently filled since the death of Brookes in 2013.
Tonight we feast on a mix of songs from 1990’s Some Friendly through to 2017’s Different Days. Despite being labeled as both Brit Pop and Madchester, Burgess has described The Charlatans as outsiders, on the fringe of these scenes, and as would be expected with thirteen studio albums under their belts, their sound has continued to evolve, capturing different influences along the way from funk and soul to reggae and country.
As Forever drives on under the mesmerising swirls of Rogers’ Hammond organ, Burgess cries ‘I wonder what you people do with your lives’, beckoning the crowd to join in with every lull in the vocal. His comically endearing dance moves step up a pace on the energetic Weirdo before the melodic harmonies of Can’t Get Out Of Bed fire up the euphoric atmosphere. He’s in love with the audience as he gestures, jokes and blows a kiss to a delirious fan before grabbing his phone and getting a group shot of the swaying arms. To be honest he’s on that darned phone all night, another nod to his abundant youthfulness, the wee tyke that he is. He’s filming us filming him filming us before filming himself and heck, back to us. At one point later in the set he looks a bit distressed, like he’s lost something. You guessed it, it’s that pesky phone!
Burgess continues to work up the crowd through the melancholy of Some Friendly’s second single, Then but it’s lured me into my own wee world with its hypnotic, melodic haze of perfection as the sweat and sway of nearby bodies dissipate for a few minutes. Outstanding!
2001’s You’re So Pretty, We’re So Pretty intoxicates while Collins shines on Sleepy Little Sunshine Boy, a breezy and uplifting delight reminiscent of a long summer evening back in the day. Fan favourites Just When You’re Thinking Things Over and One To Another are followed by Different Days, the jangly, jaunty title track from their last album which brings to mind a glow of shiny, happy ‘70s TV presenters. Next up is Ian Rankin’s Spoken Word though Fife’s finest doesn’t make an appearance on stage despite catching up with Burgess earlier in the day. His wise intones flow flawlessly into Plastic Machinery, Burgess’ vocals revealing a new freshness and clarity as he muses ‘Oh wait, I’m such an idiot’. Of course, he’s anything but.
A hat trick of hits kicks off with The Only One I Know, a kaleidoscope of colour illuminating the screen as I’m beamed back home to the summer of 1990 with a borrowed copy of the single. Crikey times were almost as hard then. North Country Boy and How High close the set while testing the foundations of the O2 Academy.
A short encore includes the moody Blackened Blue Eyes, Rogers leading the way, and ends, as always, with the spirited Sproston Green, its sprawling intro driven by Blunt’s pulsing bassline. Burgess gets one last clip of the jubilant audience as they spiral off into a psychedelic storm in the biggest singalong of the night. As the outro plays on, he heads off stage, possibly to open a Twitter account for his beloved jumper and give it a wee squirt of Lynx. Meanwhile, Blunt’s all smiles as he puts down his bass to applaud the audience.
What a brilliant night, brimming with top tunes, laughs and flashbacks to special moments as the soundtrack to long-forgotten days plays out. Next up for The Charlatans is a support slot for Liam Gallagher at Etihad Stadium, Manchester on 1 June, and later that month Tim Burgess hits the road with his solo set…and trusty old jumper judging by the tour poster. Rock ’n’ roll!
Words: Shirley Mack @musingsbymarie
Pictures: Calum Mackintosh @ayecandyphotography