THE CHARLATANS | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Wed 9 Dec
This gig is an interesting take on making your way through the nostalgia nonsense that the music industry is finding so lucrative whilst new acts are struggling. Granted, tonight is all about nostalgia, yet this is not solely what The Charlatans have to offer: in fact, their new stuff feels current. The last time I attended a Charlatans show was 20 years ago (with the same two friends), just after keyboardist Rob Collins died; with weird symmetry, I’m here to see them again after the band have just recorded their best album in over a decade as a tribute to recently departed drummer Jon Brookes.
There’s the feeling, from audience and band alike, that this is a celebration of old times and an embrace of the new. Always an underrated band, their post-rave noise fuzz was a strange fit as they came to fame during the knuckle-dragging northern Britpop scene. Tonight’s audience has that football-crowd energy of euphoria that comes when you know all the words to the tunes and are willing to hug the man next to you without shame – or, as my friend puts it, “fat, bald men jumping”. It’s an infectious mix, though, coming in waves of warm melodies and dazzling riffs; the big, bovine grin on Tim Burgess’ face feels entirely sincere.
It’s a credit to the band that the new songs feel fresh, but not out of place with the familiar bangers. However, it does seem a pity that with that backdrop of sunsets and mandalas, the band can’t indulge their impulses and just let the psychedelia run free. Each song is note-perfect so, when they finally let rip with 1990’s Sproston Green, it feels like a rave that closes just at the point when the audience is coming up. Otherwise this is a faultless show, in a great new venue for Cardiff which boasts a splendid balcony view and enthusiastic, friendly staff. The audience leave with big, satisfied grins, caught up with the warm fuzziness of a band happy with their past and excited about their future.
words CLAIRE VAUGHAN