Music

The Charlatans, Barrowland, Glasgow

Jonathan Geddes

three stars

Unlike many of their 90s contemporaries, the Charlatans can enjoy the luxury of still attracting healthy crowds, with this the first of a two night Barrowland stint. Of course, the group have endured far stormier passages than just retaining popularity, with the latest tragedy to befall them being the death of drummer Jon Brookes from a brain tumour two years ago.

Yet they go on, here with former Verve sticksman Pete Salisbury on the drumstool and a new album, Modern Nature, to promote. They didn't just pay lip service to it either, running through several tracks, which provided both highs and lows. There was something too sluggish about Talking In Tones, while Lot To Say was searching for a tune.

However the Charlatans have always possessed a soulful spirit, and there was a warm, loose feel to some of the material. Let The Good Times Be Never Ending delivered a stretched-out dancefloor filler, letting Tony Rogers on the organ shine, while Emilie was winsomely melodic.

That nature shone through the older tunes, too. Tim Burgess might manage to come across as relaxed even when trying to whip the crowd up (something not really required, given that there was an ongoing aerial bombardment of thrown pints) but their best tunes possessed a driving urgency, from the seductive You're So Pretty - We're So Pretty to a bouncing How High and One To Another's persistent riff.

Such moments helped compensate for when the band embraced more generic indie anthems, such as Crashin' In and the cumbersome Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over, and although The Only One I Know delivered nostalgia loudly and proficiently, the gig as a whole showed a band who've kept their relevance.