The Charlatans were absolutely flying going into the summer of 96. They had already released 4 albums and 13 singles. They were prolific, always recording, releasing and on tour. Then ... utter tragedy, trauma, shock, sadness, grief and disbelief.
Somehow, within a remarkably short period of time, aided by the opportunity of playing in front of 125,000 people at Knebworth, The Charlatans regrouped. There was an outpouring of love and support. Followed by an immense display of strength, courage and defiance. The Charlatans somehow, against all odds, turned disbelief into belief.
There have been many times where I have wondered if footage of The Charlatans performance at Knebworth is lying in storage. The whole event was filmed, yet nothing has been released to date. I was there and I was super proud of the band. They were incredible, totally and utterly in the zone.
July and August 1996
22nd July - Rob Collins tragically dies after crashing his BMW while driving round the country roads near Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire. Collins was a genius on the Hammond organ, integral to The Charlatans sound.
The Charlatans were scheduled to play Knebworth with Oasis on Sunday 11th August . Family, friends and management encouraged them to play the show. Martin Duffy from Primal Scream called with an offer to help them out.
Duffy stepped forward and said he wanted to help us out. And from that moment, probably just 24 hours after Rob died, people were just offering help for us to continue as a band, and I think that's one of the things that kept us going. Tim Burgess
We had to make a statement. It was a bit weird, all of it, and hard to believe. We didn't know what to do. Tim Burgess
Band statement - We've lost our mate. There will be no change. We are Fuckin' Rock!
11th August - The band play an emotionally charged set at Knebworth. They are on fire. I hope that the footage of this is released one day. See my blog from 2016 on the 20th anniversary of me and my great friend Elliott travelling down to Knebworth. I was so proud of The Charlatans that day.
16th August - The Charlatans performance on Channel 4's The White Room is broadcast. They play One To Another and Crashin' In - more below.
26th August - The Charlatans release One To Another which reaches number 3 in the UK Charts.
One To Another and Crashin' In on The White Room
One To Another is my favourite Charlatans song. No question. The power of this song still astonishes me all these years down the line. The first single following the death of Rob Collins, this was a big statement.
It meant something, more than any previous single I had previously anticipated and bought. Upon release, The Charlatans meant even more to me. They were powerful. Soulful. Defiant.
On to Channel 4's The White Room. The Charlatans are lined up and ready to go, Tim's hair is looking incredible, he's wearing a super cool sweatshirt, patrolling the stage, egging on his band and the crowd.
The One To Another intro is immensely powerful, beginning with a loop from Tom Rowlands from Chemical Brothers, then exploding into life with a heavy riff from piano, guitar, drums and bass leading to Tim coming in;
Mark Collins is on fire through the first guitar break, Jon Brookes is all over his kit. The band are up for it. Totally on it. Second verse in and one of my all-time favourite lyrics is be my spider woman, I'll be your spider man, so much so that a poster with those words used to be on display at the top of our stairs. I might need to dig it out from the loft!
Then the band pick up the pace, flying forwards, soaring upwards.
The next guitar break is even more ferocious. Burgess cries out and I'll do it the best that I can. There is the briefest of pauses for breath. Then drums crash, Tim yells something to the crowd and gazes lovingly at his band as they build things up to go at it harder than ever. The Charlatans are in full flight. The riff is supersonic and Burgess is flowing...
Stand by my accusations
I'll come clean, I don't need no vice
What a sound. What a sight. What a band.
Love is hard to leave and it's hard to never have
Burgess is into a couple of Sympathy for the Devil style woo-hoo's as the band play it out in style. One To Another never fails to lift and inspire me. I can never only watch this performance once.
There is a brief thanks a lot from Tim as Mark fires up the opening riff of Crashin' In and Tim shouts out the song title. The energy leaps out immediately from Mark Collins guitar, there is an urgency to Tim's voice and the rest of the band drive things along.
I can go for miles and miles and miles
The band are on fire. I love the change in pace after 90-seconds with Tim just shouting oh yeah, and the band just get lost in a jam. They do it again later in the song. I love the looseness and the energetic vibe.
At one point Tim is singing Mark's guitar parts, smiling, winking, watching Mark on guitar and Duffy on keys. The band build and then burst into a new groove. See me, I can feel it coming around
Duffy is off on one on the Hammond, Mark is ringing his guitar for all its worth and Jon Brookes is doing indescribable things on drums with Tim grinning and looking on in amazement. Martin Blunt is somehow anchoring all of this. What a jam! What a performance.
The Charlatans live on! Long live The Charlatans.
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