The Charlatans + Frankiie @ Theatre Fairmount

It’s funny, the article on Exclaim.ca that broke the news that The Charlatans last planned show in Montreal was cancelled described how it would have been “a rare glimpse” at the band. That was 2009. So what do you call a “rare glimpse” with NINE YEARS added on? The must-see show of the year, that’s for sure!

Vancouver’s Frankiie are charged with opening proceedings tonight, which they do admirably. For 30 minutes, their brand of dream-rock wafts over a pretty packed Théatre Fairmount, who are loud in their appreciation between each song. It’s reciprocated too; guitarist Pancha Bonno exclaims “we’ve been coming to Montreal for 3 years, this is way better than last time!”

Looking around the crowd tonight, it’s almost like being back in the 90s “Madchester” scene all over again. A lot of Liam Gallagher haircuts, a lot of tracksuit jackets zipped right to the top…the only thing that’s really changed is the age of those sporting them. The sight of one guy in his 50s wearing a “Love Will Tear Us Apart” shirt tucked into his jeans sums it up perfectly!

As The Charlatans take to a Montreal stage for the first time since 2002 (according to setlist.fm), it’s clear that frontman Tim Burgess has the same anti-ageing gene that Pharrell Williams has. While the rest of the band are unmistakably in their 50s, the 51-year-old Tim still kinda looks like he’s in his 20s, with not a wrinkle or a grey hair in sight (though the latter is due to the peroxide-blond bowl cut he is sporting nowadays!). After opening with the summery Totally Eclipsing, from last years Different Days record (their 13th overall!), Tim acknowledges the prolonged absence: “it’s good to be back in Montreal, it’s been a long time!” The classic One To Another follows soon after and sounds just as incendiary even now, it’s distorted guitar intro exploding into life and setting the Fairmount crowd off. Shortly thereafter, Tim tries his hand at some French in the form of “j’aime la poutine!”, much to the delight of the crowd who roar back in approval. The roar that greets the classic Just When You’re Thinking Things Over, from the seminal self-titled 1995 album, is just as palpable, and closes out with Tim inciting all to bounce hands in the air like a scene from an 8-Mile rap battle; the crowd duly obliges.

Of the new songs played tonight, Plastic Machinery and Talking In Tones, which are paired together in the setlist, are definitely the most old-school and fit in pretty seamlessly with the 1992 classic Weirdo which follows next and still sounds as spooky as it did back then. Let The Good Times Be Never Ending is a much more contemporary dance tune by comparison, and contrasts starkly with the acoustic guitar and harmonica combo that comprises the 1999 single Impossible, which arrives immediately after. There’s no question that The Charlatans have explored many different sounds throughout their 29 years together, and this set is irrefutable evidence of that!

Yet another massive double whammy of classic indie arrive in the form of 1997 single North Country Boy and 1990 breakthrough The Only One I Know, which still sound as fresh as they ever did, with guitarist Mark Collins’ unmistakable riffs sending the crowd into delirium once more, right from the first note. Tim thrusts his mic into the crowd for the final couple of choruses, and the ghostly-yet-powerful refrain “everyone has been burned before / everybody knows the pain” resonates around the room. New song Come Home Baby closes out the main set.

After the briefest of pauses, another oldie kicks off the encore in the shape of 1991 single Over Rising, and after the dancey So Oh, the band go off-script and elect to slip the stellar You’re So Pretty – We’re So Pretty into the set, from the glorious 2001 Wonderland record (the 8th of their 13 albums to get representation tonight!). Adding songs impromptu to the set list! They must be enjoying themselves as much as we are!

Tim address the crowd one last time with the words “sadly it’s time to say Au Revoir.” Before we can get too down about that, he continues “this is Sproston Green!” The perennial Charlatans set closer rounds off the evening in grandiose fashion, with Tim departing the stage after completing his vocal duties to leave the rest of the band to jam out the songs thunderous conclusion and close tonight’s proceedings after an hour and three quarters. An epic return for The Charlatans and a gig-of-the-year front-runner; unquestionably, a rare glimpse to savour.