Tag: The Charlatans

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Los Angeles-based Singer-Songwriter Eva Gardner Releases Sultry Visuals for “Dirty Bird”

Born the daughter of British Invasion-era rock act The Creation’s Kim Gardner, Eva Gardner is a Los Angeles-born and-based singer/songwriter and bassist, who has toured and recorded with an eclectic array of artists: Gardner was an original member of The Mars Volta with the bulk of work appearing on their debut EP Tremulant — and although she didn’t perform during the recording sessions of Deloused in the Comatorium, she did write some of the material’s bass parts. She’s had stints touring with The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, El Vez, Veruca Salt, Tegan and Sara, Pink, Moby, Cher, and a long list of others, all while being in bands of her own, including Lyra and Telstar. 

Slated for a June 14, 2019 release, Gardner’s debut EP Chasing Ghosts finds the Los Angeles-born and-based singer/songwriter and bassist stepping into the limelight as a solo artist, singer/songwriter and producer, as the EP was co-produced by Gardner and her former Telstar bandmate Chris Unck and Stew Heyduk. Songwriting has long been a cathartic experience for Gardner, who sees it as another facet of her musical and creative expression — and the EP’s 5 songs were compiled from batches of songs that she had written in hotel rooms while touring across the world.  

Chasing Ghosts’ latest single is the sultry “Dirty Bird.” Centered by a looped, old-fashioned dial tone, angular guitar chords, a throbbing and insistent bass line, propulsive drumming, Gardner’s seductive cooing and an anthemic hook, the track manages to recall New Wave — in particular, the song seemingly nods at The Divinyls’ smash hit “I Touch Myself” but with a darkly seductive and trippy vibe. 

Directed and edited by Jessamyn Violet, the recently released video for “Dirty Bird” balances the song’s dark seductive nature with a light, coquettish air — all while paying homage to Hollywood glamor and classic 80s MTV videos. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Optimistically Sunlit and Tropical Visuals for The Charlatans’ “Plastic Machinery”

Although they’ve gone through a series of lineup changes since their formation back in 1989, The Charlatans (sometimes known Stateside as The Charlatans UK) have managed to be one of the UK’s most commercially and successful acts ever as they’ve had 12 albums land within the Top 40 of the UK Charts, including 17 Top 30 singles and four Top 10 singles. Ironically enough, the band has achieved such tremendous sBMuccess while being extraordinarily unlucky: Rob Collins, the band’s original keyboardist died in a car accident during the recording sessions of the band’s fifth album; Jon Brookes, the band’s original drummer died after being diagnosed with a brain tumor; Tim Burgess, the band’s frontman, founding member and primary songwriter has battled through drug and alcohol addiction throughout the band’s history; and at the band’s biggest commercial success, the members of the band discovered that their accountant hadn’t ensured that their taxes were paid, and worse yet, had been embezzling money from the band for years — and as a result, the money they earned from playing the UK’s largest festivals over a period of years, had to be forfeited to pay their tax debts. Certainly, while any one of those events could have curtailed many bands, the members of The Charlatans have stubbornly continued onward.

The band’s forthcoming, thirteenth full-length album Different Days is slated for a May 26, 2017 release through BMG and the album, which was co-produced by Jim Spencer, was recorded at the band’s studio in Cheshire, and features guest spots from a variety of friends and collaborators including Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, The Verve’s Pete Salisbury, The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe, crime writer Ian Rankin and writer/actress Sharon Horgan among others. Different Days‘ latest, mid- tempo single “Plastic Machinery,” will further cement the band’s reputation for crafting enormous and rousing hooks within a song that possesses a bittersweet feel that clearly draws from equally hard-fought and heartbreaking experience; but just underneath the surface is the hopeful and somewhat optimistic vibe of someone who’s managed to survive in the face of incredible odds.

The recently released music video features Tim Burgess and the band alternately brooding and hanging out while presumably on tour — and the video alternates between footage shot with a Super 8 and a digital recorder while capturing the band in a gorgeous, sun-lit environs.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Charlatans Return with an Anthemic Yet Bittersweet New Single

Although they’ve gone through a series of lineup changes since their formation back in 1989, The Charlatans (sometimes known Stateside as The Charlatans UK) have managed to be one of the UK’s most commercially and successful acts ever as they’ve had 12 albums land within the Top 40 of the UK Charts, including 17 Top 30 singles and four Top 10 singles. Ironically, the band has achieved such success while being extraordinarily unlucky: Rob Collins, the band’s original keyboardist died in a car accident during the recording sessions of the band’s fifth album; Jon Brookes, the band’s original drummer died after being diagnosed with a brain tumor; Tim Burgess, the band’s frontman, founding member and primary songwriting has suffered and battled through drug and alcohol addiction throughout the band’s history; and at the band’s biggest commercial success, the members of the band discovered that their accountant hadn’t ensured that their taxes were paid, and worse yet, had been embezzling money from the band for years — and as a result, the money they earned from playing the UK’s largest festivals had to be forfeited to pay their tax debts. Certainly, while any one of those events could have curtailed many bands, the members of The Charlatans have stubbornly continued onward.

The band’s forthcoming, thirteen album Different Days is slated for a May 26, 2017 release through BMG and the album, which was co-produced by Jim Spencer, was recorded at the band’s studio in Cheshire, and features guest spots from a variety of friends and collaborators including Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, crime writer Ian Rankin and writer/actress Sharon Horgan among others. Different Days’ latest, mid- tempo single “Plastic Machinery,” will further cement the band’s reputation for crafting enormous and rousing hooks within a song that possesses a bittersweet feel that clearly draws from equally bittersweet, hard-fought experience.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of a couple of EPs and a reputation for a being one of the best up-and-coming live sets in the UK scene, Bristol, UK-based post-punk band The Jacques have built up quite a buzz around themselves; in fact, this summer, the band will be touring the European Union and UK major festival circuit with opening sets for Noel Gallagher, Rudimental and The Charlatans at Kendal Calling’s main stage and for Primal Scream at Down To The Woods.

“Eleanor Ring Me,” the band’s latest single sounds as though it draws influence from 90s alt rock and grunge rock as the band pairs sludgy power chords,  distorted vocals, snarling vocals and an anthemic hook in a song that the band says is “a kick at the people and things that we are distancing ourselves from now. “ And as a result, the song possesses a “Fuck off — or we’ll kick the shit out of you” air.

Check out the band’s EU and UK tour dates below.

Tour Dates

Fri 13th May – l’Alimentation Generale, Paris France

Sat 14th May – Les Nuit Botanique, Brussels Belgium

Fri 27th May – Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester UK

Sat 28th May – Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol UK

Sun 29th May – Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham UK

Fri 29th July – Kendal Calling Festival, UK

Sun 31st July- Damaris Festival, Amsterdam Holland

Sat 13th Aug – Down to The Woods Festival, Durham UK