LISTEN: The Charlatans' Tim Burgess reveals UK hits tour details - and they are heading this way
And they’ve been doing so for 30 years, writes Graham Walker.
The tiny village inspired a huge cult hit song by Indie legends The Charlatans and lead singer Tim Burgess assured fans they will end their live shows with it, as they always do, on their upcoming 12 date UK hits tour - which is heading this way.
He also revealed other set-list details, including plans to perform an album in its entirety on one night of the tour, plus more.
LISTEN: Hear Tim’s full podcast interview with Graham Walker – CLICK HERE.
BUY TICKETS: For all venues, dates and tickets visit www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
The Only One I Know hitmakers will play Yorkshire dates at Sheffield Octagon - moved from the O2 Academy - on Tue Nov 28, and then Leeds O2 Academy, Sun Dec 3. The band will also be playing Newcastle, Glasgow, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, London, Wolverhampton and Nottingham. Full dates and links with this post on our web sites.
A music tour de force for more than 30 years, The Charlatans also features bassist and founding member Martin Blunt, guitarist Mark Collins, keyboard player Tony Rogers and, since 2010, The Verve's co-founder, drummer Peter Salisbury.
They have notched up 13 top 40 studio albums, three of them number ones, alongside 22 top 40 singles, four of them top 10 hits.
It doesn't make choosing a live set list easy.
In his exclusive chat - listen here - frontman Tim told how the shows will be a non-stop jukebox of back catalogue hits plus some rarely played album tracks. And the show is likely to change every night.
He revealed plans for the sold out show in Glasgow to play in its entirety their second album, 1992's Between 10th and 11th - which includes singles Weirdo, Tremelo Song and I Don't Want to See the Sights.
Six years on since their 13th studio album, Different Days, Tim also promised fans they will be releasing more in the future but explained why they have yet to make a real start.
There's no doubting how each show will end, with fans singing along to 1991 single Sproston Green, named after the village a stone's throw from Tim's former home. The closing track on their chart-topping debut album, Some Friendly, it has become a fan favourite to close every show.
"We know we're always gonna end with Sproston Green, so we work backwards from there," said Tim, who revealed what other songs fans can expect on the tour.
"We've been fortunate to have some pretty good openers With No Shoes, Forever, I Don't Want to See the Sights, You're Not Very Well. We could go with any of those, really, so we're on them.
"There's no new album. So there'll be hits, songs that people know and love. We can often be a little contrary and we'll decide what to do on the night.
"We've already decided that on the second night, in Glasgow, we're going to be doing Between 10th and 11th in its entirety, which we've done in America, but we've only done before that at a special show in Manchester.
"But who knows what's gonna happen. I mean, we're working on Jesus Hairdo, My Beautiful Friend and all those tracks on Between 10th and 11th. So we can just put in anything from that as well."
And why should music fans go see The Charlatans?
Tim quipped: "Well, we're the best band in the world and we always have been."
They are one of the UK’s most enduring and best-loved bands, a brilliant live act. But when are fans likely to see a new studio album?
"We've been contemplating making new music. And, you know, the idea is still floating around. How we go about doing it is what we haven't quite worked out yet.
"We all live quite far away from each other. Mark lives in Portugal, Tony in Ireland, Martin in Wolverhampton and I live in London. We're together now until February, on tour buses and all that kind of stuff. We want to write new material. And there are a couple of things knocking around but we haven't created this world yet where we spend every day with each other and, you know, make our next masterpiece. That's not quite happened yet, but when he does, I'll be really excited.
"We all want to make a record. It will happen. We just don't know when. I'm not gonna say we don't know how, because we should know by now. But it's just like, what to make and has to be great.
THE CHARLATANS UK TOUR 2023
Fri 24 Nov 2023 Newcastle O2 City Hall
Sat 25 Nov 2023 Glasgow Barrowland SOLD OUT
Sun 26 Nov 2023 Glasgow Barrowland SOLD OUT
Tue 28 Nov 2023 Sheffield Octagon
Wed 29 Nov 2023 Bristol O2 Academy
Fri 01 Dec 2023 Cardiff University Great Hall SOLD OUT
Sat 02 Dec 2023 Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse
Sun 03 Dec 2023 Leeds O2 Academy
Tue 05 Dec 2023 Liverpool Uni The Mountford Hall
Thu 07 Dec 2023 London Troxy SOLD OUT
Fri 08 Dec 2023 Wolverhampton The Civic at The Halls
Sun 10 Dec 2023 Nottingham Rock City SOLD OUT
LINKS
Website: www.thecharlatans.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecharlatans
Instagram: instagram.com/thecharlatans
X/Twitter: twitter.com/thecharlatans
YouTube: youtube.com/TheCharlatansOfficial
Apple Music: music.apple.com/us/artist/the-charlatans/1006269