The Charlatans | |
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 The Charlatans performing in June 2024. L to R: Martin Blunt, Peter Salisbury,Tim Burgess,Mark Collins, Tony Rogers | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Northwich,Cheshire, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | www |
The Charlatans (often referred to asThe Charlatans UK in theUnited States) are an Englishrock band formed in theWest Midlands in 1988,[1] and later developed inNorthwich, Cheshire.
All of the band's thirteen studio albums have charted in the top 40 of theUK Albums Chart, with three reaching number one. They have also achieved 22 top 40 singles and four top 10 entries in theUK Singles Chart, including the hits "The Only One I Know" and "One to Another".
The band were formed in theWest Midlands bybassist Martin Blunt, who recruited fellow West MidlandersRob Collins (keyboards), Jon Brookes (drums), Jon Day (Jonathan Baker) (guitar) and singer-guitarist Baz Ketley.[2] Ketley left the band and was replaced by singerTim Burgess, who had previously supported the Charlatans with his band, the Electric Crayons.[3]
Although the Charlatans would later become popularly associated with theMadchester scene, the band's early demos recorded in 1988 inBirmingham andDudley already showcased the sound that would later define their music, characterised by Collins'sHammond organ, underpinned by the driving rhythm section of Blunt's powerful bass and Brookes's drumming.[4] With their sound – a fusion of 1960ssoul,R&B andgarage rock – inherited from Blunt's earlier 1982 bandMakin' Time, the band saw themselves as part of the West Midlands tradition of hard-edged soul and R&B, which included Birmingham bandsThe Spencer Davis Group and earlyDexys Midnight Runners.[5] Blunt has characterised the band's early influences as includingthe Stranglers,Stax Records,Joy Division andthe Doors, but has also credited the band's formation during the explosive growth of theacid house scene as contributing to their sound, explaining that they "suddenly sounded like the Spencer Davis Group on E".[3]
Although the name The Charlatans was already in use when the original members of the band were still based in the West Midlands, many sources state that they formed inNorthwich,Cheshire.[6] This is because the band relocated to the hometown of their manager Steve Harrison and new lead singerTim Burgess (who was born inSalford, but lived in Northwich from an early age) before the 1990 release of The Charlatans' debutsingle "Indian Rope" (released on Dead Dead Good Records, the label owned by Harrison, who also owned the Omega Records retail chain and management company, after the band were unable to secure a major record contract).[7] Thus, based on the definition of hometown used byGuinness World Records, the band was formed in Northwich, and consequently, Northwich is recorded as their hometown in publications such asBritish Hit Singles & Albums. One of the band's earliest known live performances was supportingThe Stone Roses at the London School of Economics on 2 December 1988.[8]
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The debut single "Indian Rope" proved to be anindiehit, and the group soon secured a major label inBeggars Banquet offshootSituation Two,[2] in time for the release of "The Only One I Know", which reached theTop 10 in theUK Singles Chart.[9] A further single, "Then", and their debutalbumSome Friendly were released later that year.[2] Around this time, The Charlatans were forced to addUK to their name for an American tour due to competing claims by an American rock band also known asThe Charlatans.[10]
Baker left the band after the 1991 release of the "Over Rising" single and was replaced byMark Collins (unrelated to Rob Collins). The band enlistedproducerFlood for their second album,Between 10th and 11th (named after the address of theNew York Marquee, the venue of the group's firstUSconcert). Released in early 1992, the album failed to reach theTop 20 of theUK Albums Chart,[9] but the Top 20 success of lead single "Weirdo" and a double weekend of gigs ('Daytripper') inBlackpool andBrighton, alongsideRide, helped maintain their visibility in the public eye.[9][11]
The band suffered a major setback later that year when Rob Collins was charged with armed robbery after a friend had robbed anoff licence while Collins waited in the car outside.[10] Collins claimed to have had no prior knowledge of the robbery until he heard a gunshot from inside the shop and saw his friend exit. However, he later admitted that he should not have picked up his friend after realising what he had done. In court, Collins pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of "assisting an offender after an offence" and served four months in prison.[10]
Their third album,Up To Our Hips (1994), reached number 8 on theUK Albums Chart.[9]
In 1995, the release of the band'sself-titled fourth album marked their return to prominence in the UK, topping the UK albums chart and spawning the Top 20 single "Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over".[9]
Keyboard player Rob Collins was tragically killed in a traffic accident on 22 July 1996, during the recording of the band's fifth album,Tellin' Stories. The Charlatans decided to continue, enlistingPrimal Scream and formerFelt keyboardistMartin Duffy until a permanent replacement for Collins could be found, particularly for their support slot atOasis'Knebworth concerts, which were just weeks away, scheduled for 10 and 11 August.Tellin' Stories was released in 1997, featuring contributions from both Rob Collins and Duffy. The group achieved their biggest UK hits to date with the singles "One to Another", "North Country Boy" and "How High".[9]
After the release of the career-spanning compilationMelting Pot, the band's contract withBeggars Banquet expired, and they signed toUniversal Records.[10] Relations with the Beggars label remained strong, however, and the band helped compile theB-sides collectionSongs From The Other Side and theDVDJust Lookin' 1990–1997, which showcased all their promotional videos and a selection of live recordings from that era.
Us and Us Only marked the start of a new era for The Charlatans. Their first release for Universal featured new keyboard player Tony Rogers, who made his Charlatans album debut,[10] having previously toured in support ofTellin' Stories and contributed to the B-sides "Keep It to Yourself" and "Clean Up Kid" from the "How High" single. The band embraced a slightlycountry sound, heavily influenced by Burgess's love ofBob Dylan.
Thesoul-influencedWonderland followed in 2001;[12] that year, the band performed atV Festival in London.[13]
The albumUp at the Lake was released in 2004.
The band released their ninth full-length album on 10 April 2006, their first for new labelSanctuary Records. TitledSimpatico, thereggae- anddub-tinged album was produced by Jim Lowe and included the fan favourite "NYC (There's No Need to Stop)" and first single "Blackened Blue Eyes".[14] The single charted at number 28, while the album reached the top 10 in its debut week before dropping off the charts shortly afterward.[9]
Their follow-up toSimpatico was the career-spanning singles compilation entitledForever: The Singles, released onCD andDVD on 13 November 2006. It was preceded by the single "You're So Pretty We're So Pretty", remixed byYouth from its original version onWonderland (2001).
In mid-2007, the band played a number of high-profile gigs, supportingThe Who andThe Rolling Stones at venues includingWembley Stadium andTwickenham Stadium in London, as well as performing at theBingley Music Live event, Nass Festival 2007, and atDelamere Forest in Cheshire. A recording ofLive at Delamere Forest was released as a five-part download for a limited time via their official website.
The band contributed the song "Blank Heart, Blank Mind" to aLove Music Hate Racism compilation CD, which was included free with the October 2007 issue ofNME. Later that month, the new single "You Cross My Path" was released as a free download, exclusively through theXFM website. A second single, "Oh! Vanity", was released in March 2008, as The Charlatans teamed up with XFM once again, becoming the first UK band to release an album (their tenth studio album,You Cross My Path) as a free download via a radio station. The album also received a physical CD/LP release on theCooking Vinyl label on 19 May 2008, which coincided with a full UK tour.
Their eleventh studio album,Who We Touch, was released on 6 September 2010 on Cooking Vinyl Records and included the single "Love Is Ending". The album charted at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart. 2010 also marked the twentieth anniversary of the band's debut album,Some Friendly, which they performed live at thePrimavera Sound Festival 2010.[15]
On 15 September 2010, drummer Jon Brookes collapsed during a performance inPhiladelphia. The remaining US tour dates were postponed, as Brookes was diagnosed with abrain tumour[16] and was flown back to the UK for an operation and a course of radiation and chemotherapy treatment.The Verve'sPeter Salisbury acted as a stand-in drummer for the remainder of The Charlatans' UK dates. Brookes returned to the stage for the band's Christmas and New Year's Eve gigs in 2010.
On 28 March 2011, Universal Music re-released a deluxe edition of the band's 1999 albumUs and Us Only, featuring a collection of bonus tracks, including B-sides, live recordings, radio sessions, and rare remixes. In March and April 2011, Tim Burgess and Mark Collins played an acoustic tour of the UK, to coincide with which they released an EP,Warm Sounds, featuring six stripped-down and reworked versions of Charlatans tracks, including "North Country Boy", "The Only One I Know" and "Smash The System". In December 2011, the band announced they would be performingTellin' Stories in its entirety at London's HMVHammersmith Apollo,O2 Apollo Manchester and Glasgow'sBarrowland Ballroom in June 2012.
The band returned to their Big Mushroom studio to begin working on demos for a new album in 2013. In May, theMountain Picnic Blues DVD was released, a documentary about theirTellin' Stories album from its creation in 1997 to the 15th anniversary of the album.
On 13 August 2013, the band's 44-year-old drummer Jon Brookes died from a brain tumour, having undergone several operations and treatments for the condition since his initial diagnosis in 2010.[17] The band paid tribute to him in a special event, withPete Salisbury playing in his place and bands such asBeady Eye,The Vaccines andManic Street Preachers also joining the bill. Proceeds from the night went toThe Brain Tumour Charity, of which The Charlatans are now patrons; the charity set up The Jon Brookes Fund as a lasting tribute to the drummer.[18]
Tim Burgess confirmed that Brookes's recordings would appear on the band's next album, originally slated for release sometime in 2014.[19]
The Charlatans announced details of their twelfth studio album,Modern Nature, to be released on 26 January 2015 on their new labelBMG Rights Management. Featuring eleven new tracks (including the recent limited edition 7" "Talking in Tones"),Modern Nature was produced by The Charlatans and Jim Spencer and mixed byCraig Silvey. The album features contributions from the band's temporary drummersPeter Salisbury (ofThe Verve),Stephen Morris (ofNew Order) and Gabriel Gurnsey (ofFactory Floor), as well as producer Dave Tolan, backing singers Melanie Marshall and Sandra Marvin, strings bySean O'Hagan and brass courtesy of Jim Paterson fromDexys Midnight Runners.
The group's thirteenth album,Different Days, was released on 26 May 2017.[20]
In July 2021, the group announced the release ofA Head Full of Ideas: The Best of Charlatans, which was released on 15 October 2021.
On 1 June 2022, the group supportedLiam Gallagher at his concert at theEtihad Stadium in Manchester.
On 16 July 2022, the group supportedGerry Cinnamon at his concert atHampden Park in Glasgow.
Burgess announced the band was back with new music on his X (formerly Twitter) account on 12 July 2025, and the title track for their fourteenth album "We Are Love" was released as the lead single on 14 July. The album was released on 31 October 2025.
Current members
Current session/touring musicians
Former members
Former touring musicians
Timeline
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |