/FOOD&DRINK ‘MANCHESTER IS ALWAYS A HOMECOMING SHOW FOR ME’
IT’S day one of The Charlatans’ new UK tour - and not even a parking ticket can deflate the mood of Tim Burgess. The tour started in Nottingham, but Manchester is the show the Salford-born frontman has got his eye on.
“Manchester is always a homecoming show for me,” he says. “It’s special. But it’s always an event for us when we play live. Wherever it is.”
Even more special as the Apollo gig itself is just one part of an all-dayer that also includes a book event with Brix Smith and Bob Stanley at the Frog and Bucket, followed by a soundcheck gig for competition winners, and an afterparty at the Albert Hall with Tim DJing.
The band has certainly mixed up its live itinerary this year, following the release of 13th studio album Different Days.
From pop up gigs in a Northern Quarter shoe shop to the Emirates Old Trafford with The Courteeners, Burgess and Co have pretty much adopted a ‘play anywhere’ strategy in 2017.
“Well, we like to mix it up,” he says. “The album was written quite acoustically, so doing really intimate shows around it worked really well, and then I do lots of little Tim Peaks events (Tim’s coffee pop up) all over the place so it seemed like a good idea to join them up. And If I’m out in Manchester I might as well make a day of it.”
Despite their here, there and everywhere nature though, the centre of the band’s universe is still Northwich - where they have a studio and rehearsal room.
“It’s our little bubble,” says Tim. “We can do everything there. Even sleep there. We just get in, push everything else to one side, relax and crack on with it. It’s the centre of everything creative we do as a band.
“Even when I lived in LA, we rehearsed in Northwich.”
After decades in the game and a few line-up reshuffles, putting the setlist together for this tour was something of a challenge. And while Different Days has plenty of light, wistful moments, The Charlatans can be an intense and thrilling live proposition. Albums like Us and Us Only and Wonderland have a dark edge, and both records should get a showing on this tour.
“We didn’t really know what we were going to play. We knew there are a few tracks we definitely wanted to do - so we want plenty of the new record, and Modern Nature. We’ve gone back to On 10th and 11th. We’ve been trying out Jesus Hairdo. I’m not sure if that will make every night, though.
“We’re playing Senses from Us and Us Only. That goes into Spinning Out from the new album. We’ve not played Love Is The Key for about 10 years, but we really want to put that in.
“Just When You’re Thinking Things Over, Weirdo, Over Rising... obviously, we’ll close with Sproston Green.
“We’ve got about 30 songs in the set but we might have to trim and move it. It won’t all fit into an hour and a half.”
And nor should it. After 27 years in the game The Charlatans are still as fresh as a daisy. Must be all that Northwich air.
The Charlatans play at Manchester’s O2 Apollo tomorrow (Saturday), tickets – £35-£55