The Charlatans @ The Refectory
By James Tate-SmithIt's been six years since the Charlatans were on a stage in Leeds (festivals excepted) and there have been several major changes in that time. Much has been made of the lack of decent venues in this city and that a band of the calibre of the Charlatans is playing in the University cafeteria is a testament to that. That they also manage to blow the roof off despite the limitations of the venue and a sound system intent on removing all the intricacies is nothing short of incredible, but then that's what the faithful have come to expect from this band.
Opening with the single "Love is the Key", Stones riffage and gospel backing blows away any memory of support The Music with their stodgy, pompous rock and "Mad Richard" flappings. Unfortunately the track is muted by the PA and Tim has to get it tweaked so those still queuing at the bars can hear. He's dressed in officially the most ridiculous hat there has ever been and it's obvious from the outset that Mr Burgess has been on a strict diet of funky tunes and has been out dancing in LA rather a lot lately. It's a revelation to hear him sing with his shiny new falsetto and not sound daft and on "Judas" he makes like Curtis and gets seriously groovy on yo ass!. The dancing (honestly) is taken to a new level on the sleazy newie "Is it in you?" with it's "hunk of burnin' love" line, it casts off it's faintly strained feel on record and takes on a Magnum PI type swagger!
After three new ones, the crowd finally gets what it wants. For "Tellin' stories" there's grins all round, the band relax and the place erupts. Another new song, and next single "A Man needs to be Told" is sacrificed to the pa, the pedal steel and backing vocals lost in a sludgy sound.
The difference between the reactions to new tunes and old favourites is marked, and that the band have stuck to their guns and play two-thirds of the new record shows their commitment to the "new direction". Decade old songs like "The Only One I Know" and "Weirdo" sound better and fresher now than they ever have, and the crowd greet them accordingly but the band seem happier playing the new stuff, though the grin on Martin Blunt's face during "One to Another" would seem to contradict this!
By mid set the place is boiling, sweat drips from the ceiling and memories of long gone Megadog nights are fresh in the scribes mind. Into this is dropped "North Country Boy", with it's swelling chorus and alt-country organ, though this is somewhat lost, overcome by the ecstatic reaction of the crowd. "You're so pretty.." slides in on staccato funk provided by rhythm section doing their usual sterling work. If the England defence were as tight as this lot we'd have no bother in Japan next year! As "Impossible" spirals out across the stage, the vibe changes and Tony Rogers steps up to take the reins. Apparently he's been the victim of some mindless abuse for "not being Rob Collins" but he has firmly staked his claim to that Hammond seat with the chops and squiggles on Wonderland and gets massive approval from the fans.
The main set closes with a breathless run through "How High", Tim grinning and dancing round the stage, now happily hatless and the song rushes towards it's high kicking "Woo-wooing!" finale, Tim pledging his "time til the day I die". Everyone knows they're coming back, there's unfinished business and the welcome when the band return minus Tim, bathed in red light and the unmistakable bassline from Forever kicks in is huge. It builds slowly on the swathes of Hammond before the boy Burgess enters just in time for "Forever. You're my salvation", all the time driven forward on the insistent bassline. "And if I Fall" postpones the inevitable and sounds warmer and less Take That than on record but the crowd now wants only one thing. As the stage darkens and those first unforgettable bassnotes come out and "Sprosten Green" starts up it genuinely makes hairs on your neck stand on end, every gig for 12 years has ended this way and it's no less special for that. Tim leaves the band to it with a goodnight and they build a wall of sound worthy of My Bloody Valentine after a night at Studio 54.
When it's over your left thinking of how it seems incongruous to have seen them in this venue, and a shocking testament to a city with no quality venues for bands of this size, or for up and coming bands to move into. But tonight was about Triumph over adversity, something this band knows quite a lot about, and is getting ever bloody better at with each passing year.
