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April 28th, 2026 by Bruce R. Kilgour
In the late ‘80s, a new musical and cultural scene dubbed “Madchester” emerged in the United Kingdom. Along with like-minded bands such as Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, The Charlatans were among the most famous and successful.
All of their albums reached the UK Top 40 Albums chart, with three making it to number one, and the band had almost two dozen top 40 singles across three decades.
Only founding member and bassist Martin Blunt is present from the original 1988 lineup, but vocalist Tim Burgess joined in 1989 and guitarist Mark Collins in 1991. With the addition of Tony Rogers in 1997, The Charlatans have maintained a stable lineup for almost 30 years.
Although the band has only visited the US seven times in the last 20 years, California fans were fortunate to get some great gigs from the Manchester legends in both 2023 and 2024. The band is currently on tour in the United Kingdom, promoting their 14th studio album, 2025’s “We Are Love.”
In addition to new music, The Charlatans UK are also celebrating the 35th anniversary of their chart-topping debut album “Some Friendly,” recently reissued in a deluxe 2CD/LP package featuring B-sides, remixes, alternate takes, and other rarities curated by Burgess.
This week, The Charlatans announced an ambitious 16-date North American tour that will begin on September 3rd with three Southern California shows and wrap up in Brooklyn on September 26th.
Lucky fans at the Santa Ana Observatory (September 3rd) and Hollywood Palladium (September 4th) shows will be treated to “very special guests” The Dandy Warhols, for what appears to be that band’s only scheduled concerts this year.
Tickets for all three Southern California shows (the band is also appearing at House of Blues San Diego on September 5th) are on sale now!
TO FOLLOW
SID 260501 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
