The Charlatans played Aberdeen’s Music Hall as part of their delayed 30th anniversary tour. Gayle Ritchie got her hands on a ticket for the hotly-anticipated gig…
I absolutely love The Charlatans. I’ve been a fan ever since they released what’s arguably become the band’s anthem – The Only One I Know – in 1990.
Thirty-two years on, their debut album Some Friendly remains my favourite of all-time.
It had been a while since I’d seen the band perform, the last time being at Dundee’s Caird Hall in 2015, so I was silly-teenage-girl-style excited when I discovered they were playing Aberdeen’s Music Hall.
The indie rock legends hadn’t performed in the Granite City for a decade, and the gig had been postponed from December thanks to Covid-19, so expectations were high.
Support
I missed the support act, singer-songwriter Martin Carr, former frontman of The Boo Radleys, while I was in the ridiculously long queue for the bar.
However, a pal tells me the Thurso-born musician treated the audience to a “solid performance”.
The Charlatans
The Charlatans took to the stage in front of a sell-out crowd just after 8.45pm, and excitement levels shot through the roof.
Amazing, colourful visuals were projected onto screens behind the band, offering a trip down memory lane with photos and videos of Tim and co up to all sorts of antics through the decades.
They opened their set with the song Forever, released in 1999. It’s perhaps not one of their most well-known tunes, but it was a cracking kick-off, followed by the epic Weirdo with its striking organ riff, and Can’t Get Out of Bed
The fourth track, Then – which frontman Tim Burgess describes as his favourite and “one of the greatest songs I’ve ever been involved in”, was spot on.
Tim, sporting crisp white t-shirt, jeans, kooky cardigan (which he took on and off) and his signature blond moptop, was in fine form, waving his hands in the air, thrusting his hips and encouraging the crowd to sing along. His phone was often to the fore as he took photos and videos of the audience, an unusual but rather touching gesture.
“It’s good to see you!” he beamed, after having played Then. “Some familiar faces! Friends!”
Top tunes
Other tracks that followed included You’re So Pretty – We’re So Pretty, Sleepy Little Sunshine Boy, Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over, One to Another, and Plastic Machinery (from their 2017 album Different Days), I Never Want an Easy Life, A Man Needs to be Told, The Blind Stagger and of course, The Only One I Know.
Yup, unsurprisingly, folk went wild for this legendary track. Hands were in the air, lyrics were chanted and the first few rows turned into a sweaty mosh pit. Beer was spilled, fans were carried aloft on shoulders, and the atmosphere sizzled. This is a tune that will never fail to impress, even though I did hear a few grumbles from fellow fans that the tempo was “too slow”. Well I thought it was blooming terrific!
Next up was a raucous and energetic rendition of North Country Boy, which meant more beer was spilled and more sweat was dripped, but everyone was in their element.
The band left the stage briefly which got feet stomping and fans chanting, but of course they headed back for the encore – and most of us knew what was coming.
“We’re going to play a very, very long version of Sproston Green,” Tim announced, and boy, was it an extended – and fantastic – version. This is always amazing played live.
The sense of euphoria as the tune ramped up was almost tangible – everyone was loving it; it was what we had come here for.
Happy return
It was good to be back amongst fellow Charlatans fans, all loving the music and enjoying the experience together as one, although I’m not sure I miss having beer spilled on me or having other people’s sweat sprayed on me. Had I stood nearer the back of the venue I could’ve avoided such things – there was plenty of space – but I felt I wanted to fully immerse myself in the experience, and that, I did.
Hopefully the band won’t wait another decade to hit up the north-east, but when they do, I’ll be sure to return.
- The Charlatans play Edinburgh’s O2 Academy on May 19. Tickets can be purchased here.
