The Charlatans Celebrate Sophomore Album, Between 10th and 11th
Photos by Kyle Gustafson
Words by Mickey McCarter
In 1992, The Charlatans released their sophomore album, Between 10th and 11th. Frontman Tim Burgess and company recently embarked on the second leg of a USA tour to celebrate the record in a co-headlining tour with shoegazers Ride on their shared Between Nowhere Tour.
The Charlatans recently kicked off the tour’s DC-area date at The Fillmore Silver Spring with a signature high-energy performance led by Tim’s sunny disposition and the band’s good-natured charm.
The Charlatans released their debut album, Some Friendly, in 1990. The album featured Tim and bassist Martin Blunt, both still with the band. The Charlatans recruited guitarist Mark Collins for Between 10th and 11th. There three men have been with the band ever since. Along the way, they added keyboardist Tony Rogers and today they tour with drummer Peter Salisbury.
The gents played a satisfying set of 15 songs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Jan. 17, showcasing nine songs from Between 10th and 11th. The band began the show with the woozy and comforting “I Don’t Want to See the Sights.”
The Charlatans loosely followed the album tracklist with some exceptions. “Subtitle” played as entrance music, and they played “The End of Everything” at the end of the Between 10th and 11th set. Full of bonhomie, Burgess swayed from side to side with a wide smile and his instantly recognizable mop of blond hair.
The biggest thing about The Charlatans remains the band’s unique guitar-driven shimmery sound. Although some of the lyrical content of the songs read as distinctly unhappy, the radiant guitar had an uplifting effect on the crowd. The Fillmore Silver Spring was positively packed, and everyone ate up the brilliant instrumentation and Tim’s agreeable and genial delivery. “Tremelo Song” was representative of this dichotomy.
Watch the official music video for “Tremelo Song” by The Charlatans on YouTube:
At one point during the show, Tim rambled about how his sweater likely came from Urban Outfitters, which led him to banter with the audience about clothes. He asked anyone if they wanted to swap sweaters and a woman in the stage left balcony cheered loud enough to capture Tim’s attention and execute the exchange. It was inspired, as the lady was wearing a baggy sweater that read “Weirdo.” “Weirdo” of course was probably the most anticipated song from Between 10th and 11th, and Tim sang it with a bit of fire. Sadly, the sweater exchange took place *after* the song, so he wasn’t clad in the song title for the performance.
After the anniversary celebration of Between 10th and 11th, The Charlatans set about playing some other songs that folks like to hear at their shows — two each from Some Friendly, The Charlatans (1995), and Tellin’ Stories (1997). The last two songs of the set punctuated perfectly the performance: Some Friendly’s “The Only One I Know” and “Sproston Green,” both remarkably memorable tunes that alone might constitute why The Charlatans broke out of their Madchester/Britpop scene in the United Kingdom and drew strong US fanbase that adheres to the band decades later.
Well, it was a good show all around, and surely we can look forward to seeing The Charlatans again soon.
Here are some pictures of The Charlatans performing at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Jan. 17, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of Kyle Gustafson.
