Charlatans in labour of Love

Britpop pioneers back with 'spiritual' LP

- By Casey Cooper-Fiske

UNDERPINNED by chirping psychedelic organ sounds, The Charlatans burst on to the scene in the late 1980s as a forerunner of Britpop, led by floppy-haired frontman Tim Burgess.

Formed in the UK's west Midlands, the band moved to Northwich, the home of Burgess and the band’s manager early in their career, where they were embraced by the Manchester scene on their acidic danceable debut, Some Friendly (1990).

The album featured classic tracks such as The Only One I Know, Then and Sproston Green, which went on to inspire the Britpop movement that would break out later that decade.

The guitar-heavy sound of the era was taken on by the band for 1997's Tellin’ Stories, which featured the rousing singles How High, North Country Boy and One To Another, and was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, based in a working farm and known for its hedonistic atmosphere.