Review – The Charlatans (Acoustic) - Stoke Underground – Monday 14th March 2010

The Underground is packed to its rafters tonight, ready to see The Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess and lead guitarist Mark Collins , run through a number of hits from their Brit pop heyday. You can sense the anticipation in the air from early doors. Tonight is sold out, and their is clearly only one act that everyone in attendance is here to see.

That means a somewhat apathetic reaction for support acts Rough States and Aaron Wright tonight, which is a real shame. Rough States put in the set of their lives, showcasing their country and folk tinged pop rock songs, to a crowd who barely give them a chance. It is a shame, as they are exceptional and captivating for the 30 minutes they are on stage. Edinburgh based singer songwriter Aaron Wright shares pretty much the same fate, he too putting in a sterling shift to minimal fanfare.

The Charlatans took to the stage like returning heroes, and ran through 75 minutes worth of their material for the jam packed venue. They went down a storm, with the crowd clearly loving the chance to see their heroes in such an intimate venue. Tim and Mark are visibly enjoying this acoustic tour, giving them the artistic licence to delve deeper into their back catalogue than they normally would at a full band show. They play some obscure, lesser known songs, some B sides, and some tracks from their latest EP. It is, however, the hits which the crowd want to hear, and the duo respond in kind, even playing some songs at the request of their crowd.

Punctuated with a few electric numbers as well, tonight was a real success for the duo, and everyone left with a smile on their face.