With 20 years behind them, The Charlatans are only now making their way to Australia for the first time. They are one of the UK's great survivors, having faced baggy, Britpop, drugs and more, and come through it on the other side with 10 albums to their name and a loyal following. Their most recent album, You Cross My Path, was initially released as a free download through radio station Xfm (the first time this has been done by a UK band). The move, as well as the album, was met with a positive response from fans and critics alike.
Bass player Martin Blunt spoke to us during a break in the band's touring.
yourGigs (yG): You've played quite a bit around Europe and the UK already this year. What's the reaction been like to the new material?
Martin Blunt (MB): It's been very, very good. It feels like we're back on form. I think with the recording of it, up until the new year, we were very happy with what we wanted. We got it down to 10 songs which we thought were all really watertight. We didn't want to dilute it anymore with other tracks. When it initially got released as a free download, we were more than happy to put it out.
yG: Was it a long recording process?
MB: No, it took about four months in all. We actually recorded it Los Angeles, Ireland and back in our studio, Big Mushroom, in Cheshire. It was very quick. I think we knew what we wanted. A lot of the smoke, or the fog, cleared after Simpatico. There's still some really good tracks on that album but there's still a few that are unfinished. It felt really crystal clear with what we wanted with You Cross My Path.
yG: Where do you think this album sits against the rest of your work?
MB: I think, after Simpatico and Up at the Lake, this album has, instead of thinking what it wants to be... it's got its own identity which I think is in keeping with Wonderland or Tellin' Stories or Up to Our Hips. All the tracks seem to tie together.
yG: Can you tell me a bit about the release of the album in the UK; it's something that hasn't been done before, has it?
MB: We were halfway through the album and we said to management, why not release it as a free download. With that in mind, we knew we had to make something really good. I think that gave us the reason to make sure that all the boxes were ticked with the tracks on this album. It came out in March as a free download and the response to that was pretty overwhelming. I think in the first week it got just under 150,000 downloads, which is pretty good. Then, eight weeks later, we did a CD release. I think there's still a place for CDs.
yG: Did you find that offering the album as a free download affected CD sales?
MB: I think it did a bit but it was still rather healthy. I know people liked it that much that they actually downloaded and bought a copy as well, which is quite heartening. I think the generation that's coming up now... it's their way of accessing the majority of their music. I still think the CD has a better sound quality than an mp3.
yG: This is the first Australian tour you've done. What's taken so long?
MB: To be honest, it was record companies that we were dealing with at the time. We were going out to the Far East, to, like, Japan quite a lot. When it was put forward to go to the antipodes, it was like "ok" and nothing was ever done. At the start of the year we thought, before it's too late, we really wanted to get out to Australia. It's just a pity we couldn't do more cities out there but it's a start.
yG: Obviously, a lot of people will be wanting to hear a lot of different songs. What can people expect?
MB: It will be a lot of the new album. On this tour, we've been resurrecting a few more obscure tracks. The good thing about The Charlatans' audience is a lot of people know album tracks as much as they know what we released as singles, which is quite refreshing. I think there's only a few bands who got that thing where they can pick things like b-sides and people know the stuff. There'll be some surprises. On this tour, we've been doing stuff that we haven't played in 15 years. We've found with You Cross My Path, tracks like 'Weirdo', which we haven't done in a while, really fit in with the album. I'm glad this album connects with some of the previous stuff we've done.
Michael Hartt
|
|