Lockdown listening parties gave me a sense of purpose
The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess talks about how his pandemic project became a lifeline during Covid and his joy at getting Sir Paul McCartney on board.
SIR Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher and Joy Division – not a bad line-up to rally together for a musical project.
These are but a few of the gargantuan talents that The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess turned to when the world needed to be reminded of the power of connection through music more than ever.
Rewind to March 2020, fear of an emerging virus and a national lockdown is rife, and, like most of us, Tim wanted to help alleviate the strain in whatever way he could.
He invited people to collectively tune in to an album online as the band or artist shared their own insights and stories about the music through his then-Twitter page, and his listening parties were born.
It soon became a sensation, attracting names from across an eclectic mix of genres and eras, from heavy metal band Iron Maiden to Australian pop star Kylie Minogue. But one of Tim’s biggest coups came from believing in the classic saying – if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
“That was amazing,” he says with a grin as he reflects on landing The Beatles legend Sir Paul.
“I cheekily asked if he’d want to do a listening party and usually people would get back within a few hours at the most, and six weeks later I just got a McCartney thumbsup emoji, which is very nice... That was one of the best ones really because we put a lot of effort into it.
“That was the main blueprint for a good listening party, the fact that people really wanted to do it.”
The listening party dedicated to the Plastic Ono Band – the rock band formed by the late John Lennon and Yoko Ono – also features among Tim’s highlights, as Yoko, her son Sean, the George Harrison estate and Sir Ringo Starr were all involved.
During a more than three-year run on Twitter, the listening parties – the format for which was adapted into a podcast series for Absolute Radio in 2023 – dived into more than 1,300 albums and brought music fans from across the world together.
“I meditate on my own every day,” Tim tells me over a video call.
“I’ve meditated with a group of people and it’s more powerful, I’ve meditated with 100 people and it’s beyond – it’s like cosmic explosions going on everywhere.
“That’s how it felt with the listening parties, there are thousands of people listening all over the world, focusing on one record.” Tim admits the scale of the project, which required an intense level of organisation from the singer, did take a toll but he feels that ultimately “a lot of good came out of it”.
“I think it culturally impacted in ways that I have no clue about,” he says. “I hate it coming out of my mouth but some of the comments I’ve had are that ‘it saved my life during Covid’ or ‘it was the best thing that happened during Covid’. “All these comments are just way beyond what I could have ever imagined it being. I’m really thankful for people letting me know that because it actually really helped me too, to get through it, because it gave me a huge sense of purpose, and music is obviously a huge thing for me too.”
As the fourth anniversary of Tim’s Listening Party rolls around, the singer is releasing a compilation album of highlights from the project.
The album will be available as a 62-track four CD package and also as a 24-track two CD deal, with a plethora of bands and artists featured including Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon as well as Liam Gallagher, The Libertines, MGMT, The Specials and Belle & Sebastian.
While the listening parties attracted many high-profile artists, Tim notes that an important aspect of the project was also designating a regular slot for up-and-coming bands to given them a platform to reach new listeners when typical avenues were restricted during lockdown.
“There were so many publications that had limited staff and people were releasing records, and nobody was writing about them, so that became a really important thing,”
Tim explains.
“Some bands could pull their releases because they had the power, but loads of the bands couldn’t, so therefore it gave him a bit of a platform, which was better than nothing for sure.”
Born in Lancashire, Tim joined rock band The Charlatans in the late 1980s. They arrived onto the music scene after their 1990 debut studio album Some Friendly went to number one.
The group – which currently consists of guitarist Mark Collins, bassist Martin Blunt, keyboardist Tony Rogers and singer Tim – went on to produce a string of hit albums including their 1995 eponymous album and 1997’s Tellin’ Stories – which were both chart-toppers.
“With The Charlatans, it was all about demo tapes, being able to play live and trying to get a deal,” Tim recalls about their early days.
“We didn’t [get a deal], we managed to persuade somebody’s sister to put up the money and we’d pay it back when we did get a deal, which is what happened.”
In certain ways, he feels the group had to overcome the similar hurdle artists face today of no one taking any interest in you until you promote yourself. However, he recognises things have become challenging in the social media age. The band would create demo tapes which they gave away and had to avoid the police and security as they put up posters.
“That was all part of the momentum,” he says. “I would hate to try and start a social media presence by having to pay for it.”
Just as the listening parties provided a space for emerging artists, grassroot music venues have been growing young talent for decades.
However, a report by the charity Music Venue Trust released in January showed these venues experienced their “worst year” for closures in a decade during 2023.
Tim thinks it is important for grassroot venues to be supported, noting you “can’t just become Coldplay overnight, you have to start somewhere”. “I’ve put my money where my mouth is and helped save a few places”, he adds. “I guess more people in bands need to do that.” ■ Tim’s Listening Party compilation album is out now
I think it culturally impacted in ways that I have no clue about…
Tim Burgess on the legacy of his listening parties in the pandemic