I'll Be Down When You're Down I'll Be Up When You're Up

Sounds Of The City takes place in early July every year in Manchester, a week of gigs at Castlefield Bowl, an 8000 capacity outdoor venue surrounded by Manchester's past and present- the remains of the Roman fort, the Bridgewater Canal and the canal basin, the railway line and the tram, the world's first passenger railway station, and the Beetham Tower. This year's line up included The Charlatans. At the end of last year via the magic of social media, Charlatans front man and all round nice guy Tim Burgess found out that we played North Country Boy at Isaac's funeral and he messaged me with the offer of free tickets when the band next played Manchester. When their Castlefield gig was announced I messaged him to remind him of his kind offer and Tim was as good as his word. 

At 9pm on a warm and sunny Manchester evening and with an up- for- it crowd, four Charlatans take to the stage. Drummer Pete Salisbury starts up on the hi- hats and the band kick in and the sound of 1999's seven and a half minute single Forever builds, the two note organ drone, Martin Blunt's rumbling bass and eventually shards of Mark Collins' guitar. It's three minutes before Tim Burgess arrives on stage, all smiles, striped jumper and big hair, waving and then grasping the mic to sign, the dam bursting at the end of the first verse with the line, 'I wonder what you people do with your lives... once more this will be forever'. 

After Forever's slow burn we are treated to a ninety minute hit heavy set, mainly fan favorites from the 90s with a couple of new ones. Weirdo comes next, the wheezy organ splicing 1966 and 1992, wonderful indie- psyche from their second album Between 10th And 11th.

Weirdo

Then three songs in they rip into the opening chords of North Country Boy. I thought I was prepared for this happening- the song, its connection to Isaac (for me now the boy of the song's title) and the lines that took on new meaning after he died  'Every day you make the sun come out/ Even in the pouring rain/ I'll come to see you/ And I'll save you, I'll save you' for one, and there are several others) and the surge of emotion I expected to feel when they played it- but instantly me and Eliza are in floods of tears, my brother's behind us hugging us and the band are powering through the song's verses and choruses; 'Hey country boy/ What are you sad about?'. It took the next song, Can't Get Out Of Bed, to get ourselves back into one piece.

Tim reminds us its thirty years since the release of their self- titled fourth album, one that in 1995 pushed them back onto bigger stages and they play a mini- set of songs from it- Here Comes A Soul Saver, Toothache and the mighty, emotive Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over, a song about coming home, all tumbling drums, acoustic guitars and piano runs. Released at the height of Britpop, The Charlatans were doing Exile On Main Street. We get a new song, We Are Love, and then a run of big hitters- the huge pounding Chemical Brothers enhanced dance- rock of One To Another, probably tonight's peak in terms of energy and whoomph, Just Lookin', Impossible, Blackened Blue Eyes, The Only One I Know and then the raucous and distorted guitar slashing, Bob Dylan meets Wu Tang Clan torrent of words that is How High, and all that flashing imagery that Tim piled into the words about the lyrics of your life, kissing the sun and pledging my time 'til the die...

How High

They encore just as the sun has dipped out of view with I Don't Want To See The Sights and another new one. Finally, the lysergic spin of Sproston Green starts up, the group's welding together of 60s garage psyche and late 80s indie- dance still burning, Tim at the front singing about an older woman who came and went and took what was his, over and over. It's all life affirming stuff, songs that have become part of the soundtrack our lives played by a band that have known their own tragedies and who have a genuine connection with their audience. Thanks Tim.