The Charlatans @ Rosemount Hotel
w/ Vancool, The Dennys
Saturday, October 15, 2022
Indie rock and Madchester were defining genres of late 1980s, early 1990s England that inspired and shaped a generation. Merging elements of acid house, psychedelia, melodic pop and 1960s pop, The Charlatans were popularly associated with the Madchester scene, a genre that truly showcased their raw talent. In a career spanning 32 years, The Charlatans have outlived this genre and have grown to adapt genres of alternative/indie rock to produce a truly unique sound.
Formed in Westlands, Manchester in 1989, the band created a distinct fusion of 1960s soul, R&B, Northern Soul, house-influenced rhythms, and garage rock that was dominated by Collins’ Hammond organ, a driving rhythm section, crunchy riffs, wailing guitar and Tim Burgess’ captivating, dreamy vocals. After four years, the UK indie legends brought this iconic sound back to Perth at two sold out shows on Saturday and Sunday at the Rosemount Hotel.
Perth was the last Australian show on the band’s A Head Full of Ideas 32nd Anniversary Best of Tour. Vancool and The Dennys provided support for the night, each performing a 30 minute set. Vancool kicked off the night, and particularly stood out. With fast past-paced guitars, classic rock riffs, bustling drums, Dion Mariani’s dynamic, clean vocals, and hard-hitting choruses, the indie-rockers delivered an energetic, loud and captivating set that really showcased their raw energy and amazing sound. The band ended their set with a cover of Headshrinker by Oasis, an obvious pleaser to the mainly British audience.
At around 10pm, The Charlatans graced the stage in typical style opening with I Don’t Want to See the Sights, and then blasting into the immediately recognisable and iconic Hammond Organ riff of Weirdo. With three decades worth of material and thirteen top 40 studio albums, The Charlatans gave the audience exactly what they wanted to see – iconic hits that defined their remarkable and genre bursting career.
The genre-hopping setlist included the likes of Can’t Get Out of Bed, Then, So Oh, You’re So Pretty, Sleepy Little Sunshine Boy, Just When You’re Thinking Things are Over, and then the iconic One to Another which really changed the atmosphere and got the audience moving. Tellin’ Stories, Plastic Machinery, Tremolo Song and A Man Needs to be Told were next, before classics and obvious crowd-pleasers The Only One I Know, North Country Boy and How High. Predictably, the show ended with an encore including Blackened Blue Eyes and crowd favourite Sproston Green.
Throughout the entire set, Tim Burgess depicted his usual energy and showmanship, grooving about the stage, showcasing his trademark Madchester dance moves, while smiling at and high-fiving the hands of the audience. In typical Charlatans style, their live instrumental sound was dominated by Tony Roger’ dynamic, sweeping organ playing, but underpinned by the driving rhythm section of Blunt’s powerful running bass, and Mark Collins’ captivating guitar.
The Charlatans are great live musicians and put on an exceptional performance. There is a lot to love about this band and their live show can not be recommended enough.
ALEXIA LARCHER
Photos by Sethen Sheehan-lee
(Courtesy of Rosemount Hotel)
