‘Glasgow is where it all began,” announces Tim Burgess – singer, listening party host, burgeoning national treasure – from the stage of the city’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom, where his band the Charlatans are playing their 16th show since 1992. Though they hail from Northwich in Cheshire, Glasgow is the only city on this tour getting two nights – a testament to the band’s long-standing affinity with the city and its indie-pop musical heritage. And tonight is a special one: “I put out a tweet saying we’d do Between 10th and 11th,” the perennially youthful Burgess says, referring to the 1992 fan-favourite album. “It seemed to catch on, so here it is”.
His announcement may be low key, but Burgess’s presence is anything but. With his bleach-blond mop, rosy cheeks and bright sports jersey, he’s like a whimsical cartoon popstar against the swirling backdrop: dancing, waving and grinning at the devoted crowd. The live setting accentuates the muscular moments of the once-maligned Between 10th and 11th – the chunky piano chords of Tremelo Song; the chorus of Dylan-quoting Can’t Even Be Bothered – but what really stands out is the propulsive groove that unites the songs. It’s moving to hear the melancholy lyrics of Ignition and the nihilism of The End of Everything being performed by someone noticeably lighter on his feet than at the time of writing. Whole album performances can be predictable, but this surprise set serves as an unexpected reminder of the band’s more esoteric, introspective tendencies.
The remainder of the show leans on the more swaggering side of the band’s catalogue: hits North Country Boy and One to Another, 1995 album track Toothache and more recent single Let the Good Times Be Never Ending. After Between 10th and 11th, this second half is painted in broader strokes. Burgess films the crowd during some songs – an initially sweet gesture that, after a while, is reminiscent of the person at every gig who watches the show through their phone. But the crowd are in constant high spirits, peaking when bagpipe player and support act Ruby Darbyshire joins the band for an encore of 2008 single Oh! Vanity. In Burgess’s beloved Glasgow, the defining mood is of band and audience sharing a mutual, long-term fondness.
• The Charlatans play Sheffield Octagon, 28 November, then tour until 10 December.
