Before they’ve even played a note, the crowd’s passion highlights the regard this band of supposed under-achievers are held. As a wise sage once commented: ‘There’s a lot of love in the room tonight.’ The crush that will later greet “One To Another” remains a poignant reminder of the late Rob Collins, a string of bad luck and the enduring spirit of defiance that their greatest four minutes still encapsulates.
That’s all to come later, but pile-driving into new single “Up At The Lake”, The Charlatans sound in fantastic form – a well-honed machine kicking-off a new campaign with yet another killer single. Dominated by Mark Collins’ guitar licks this incarnation of the band is meaty, beaty, big and bouncy. As ever though, all eyes are on the eccentric figure that is Tim Burgess.
The singer has rarely sounded better. Having rid himself of that faintly ridiculous falsetto he affected around the time of "Wonderland", age and experience have honed his nasal style into an expressive instrument. Confident and charismatic, he is charm personified – whether pressing flesh with the front row or reading lyrics from a sheet of paper (just like his hero Mark E Smith).
Yet, such behaviour brings us to The Charlatans’ perennial dilemma: that while they’ve always worn their influences on their sleeves they’re also prone to putting on someone else's coat and trousers too. The falsetto has already been mentioned – the result of too many portions of Lambchop – but there’s also that ‘thin wild mercury sound’ (©The Band) they finally have down to a tee after half a decade of trying. When Burgess whips out his harmonica you hope Dylan’s lawyers aren’t in the house.
It’s a similar quandary that Primal Scream once encountered: how to transcend, and not become, the sum of your influences. While The Scream have been trying to square that circle ever since their Counterfeit Stones period you still feel Burgess and co are a bit quick to dip into any passing shadow. The new album sounds great – “I’ll Sing A Hymn” and “Apples & Oranges” in particular – but the energy levels sag undeniably when they recreate it tonight.
It takes a rousing “How High” and a jubilant “North Country Boy” to get the masses on their feet again. It’s akin to watching your team take an early 1-0 lead and then sit on it before they score that conclusive second goal.
The evening concludes with Ronnie Wood walking onstage for a bash through the old Faces chestnut “Stay With Me”. On the one hand this could be read as a symbolic passing of the torch. On the other it’s the sort of behaviour the Stereophonics indulge in when they’re not building a time machine set for 1973. Ultimately The Charlatans are at their best when they’re looking forward and, as a scorching set-closer of “Sproston Green” confirms, they’re even better when they’re just being themselves.
