Photo Credit: Ava Lockey
Words: Gabriella Lynn
90s rock legends The Charlatans’ headed to the Octagon in Sheffield on Saturday 2nd May for a sold-out show on their ‘We Are Love‘ UK tour.
From the moment the band walked out on stage, it was clear how adored they were by their fans, and they definitely knew how to get the crowd going. As soon as Tim Burgess appeared wearing his classic ray-bans, you knew The Charlatans were going to deliver a solid performance.
They opened with ‘Kingdom of Ours‘, the opening track from their 2025 album ‘We Are Love‘. The track sported an intense psychedelic vibe that distinguished it from their previous albums, accompanied by trippy visuals and lighting that certainly set the atmosphere for the show.
It wasn’t long before the band transported back in time to the iconic 1994 track ‘North Country Boy’ – a fan-favourite for a reason. After peaking at number 1 in Scotland and number 4 in the UK at the time of its release, it was clear that the track has definitely not lost its charm as fans sang along to every word of the nostalgic indie banger.
‘Toothache‘ was another stand-out. Catchy guitar riffs, strong vocals, captivating lyrics. I would argue that this was one of their strongest numbers entirely, with possibly more of a heavier rock feel than other tracks which I thoroughly enjoyed.
It would be impossible to not mention ‘The Only One I Know‘ of course, which came at the end of the set-list, before the en-core – a perfect finish with a classic crowd pleaser.
Overall, The Charlatans delivered a solid show, with a blend of old and new that fans couldn’t resist. It was nice to see songs from the early 90s all the way up to their most recent album in 2025, and it was clear that the time passed hasn’t dulled their spark one bit.
Taped Magazine 