Charlatans at Brixton Academy

This was advertised as the Charlatans 30th anniversary tour, and I got (willingly) sucked into this greatest hits compilation. 

I arrived on time for it opening at 7, and while I have done that for gigs and found I had to queue around the block, for this one there was but a tiny queue, so I took the opportunity to take up a spot dead centre and at the front before the rest arrived, and settled in for the next four hours. I think the key factor for admission is whether the band has a big, young, especially young female, following. If so they get there in their droves super early in order to be as close as possible to their idols, probably helped by them being students. The Charlatans have a rather more mature, working age audience so it shouldn't have been such a surprise to be able to wander in at 7. I should add that everyone did turn up in due course - the gig was a sellout.

Support act was Martin Carr and What Future. Never heard of him/them? No nor me. A bit of subsequent research revealed that Martin Carr was once with the Boo Radleys - rather one hit wonders from the Brit pop era. They sounded fair enough but unsurprisingly nothing special. I do rather feel that if you haven't made it big by your mid fifties it might be time to call it quits. Feels to me a bit like bed blockers. If you aren't making your mark might one not move aside and let younger, up and coming bands have a go in this slot? I guess if you are enjoying it why not, and the bassist in particular seemed to be loving it, although he looked less rock star and more Grizzly Adams (which will only mean anything to the older reader....)

Martin Carr

Grizzly Adams?

Really lockdown is no excuse for that much beard....

Obviously by the time the Charlatans appeared, the little crowd that had patiently listened to Martin Carr had now grown to a less patient full house. The rest of the band arrived first and did an intro before star man Tim Burgess appeared.

You don't usually get a set list on screen...

It is fair to say Tim milked the warm adulation he got from the crowd. And an interesting choice of attire - not many rock stars would wear their Christmas jumper to a show. But he really is everything about the Charlatans when on stage. By which I don't mean that the rest of the band are not skilled musicians, just that they stay very much in the background and Tim just gets all the attention. Few men men go prematurely blond like Tim, having traded in his mop of dark hair for this current shaggy look. Not a bad look at all for him. He gives off an air of cheeky boyish charm, not easy to pull off at the age of 54!

As Tim proudly announced during the gig, they had played Brixton Academy 17 times over the years, no mean achievement given what a substantial venue Brixton is. Unlike most other bands from that era, especially Manchester scene bands, the special thing about the Charlatans is that they have never broken up, but continued to record, tour and produce new albums. I think they are up to something like thirteen albums now. While their best is probably long gone, their longevity is impressive, and its much nicer seeing a band that has always been productive than suddenly seeing a group of fat balding blokes reuniting in middle age for a retirement pay day when you last saw them as a group of skinny youths. This is their career. And they are good at it. That distinctive trippy dance style with Tim's distinctive vocals over the top. His voice is a bit of an acquired taste, somewhat flat but on better form than I have heard him before.

The crowd actually had a fairly wide demographic even if more middle aged than most concerts at Brixton. Largely good humoured but those of us at the front were somewhat miffed when two huge tattooed blokes about 30 suddenly barged to the front elbowing out anyone in their path and then proceeded to drunkenly spread their arms out right over the faces of the adjoining crowd members. Fortunately they didn't stay long, particularly after a good talking to from the security bloke at the front. What was most interesting is that during the wait for the encore, two of the security members had a stand up row about the policing of the crowd and pretty much had to be restrained by other members of security from starting a full scale brawl between them. Not exactly what you want from security!

Anyway, the Charlatans duly returned to stage for the encore ending with a very long version of Sproston Green, from which Tim departed first to leave the rest of the band to continue it as an instrumental. And as it is my favourite Charlatans track I was happy.😀