The Charlatans

The Charlatans are an English indie rock band formed in the West Midlands in 1988 and subsequently established around Northwich, Cheshire. Often called The Charlatans UK in North America to distinguish them from the American 1960s group of the same name, they emerged during the Madchester era but developed a catalogue considerably broader than that original scene. The band broke through in 1990 with Indian Rope and The Only One I Know, whose organ-led psychedelic groove became one of the defining sounds of the period. Their debut album, Some Friendly, entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. Between 10th and 11th and Up to Our Hips followed, expanding their mixture of indie rock, dance rhythms, Hammond organ and 1960s psychedelia. Their self-titled fourth album returned them to number one in 1995. During the recording of Tellin’ Stories, founding keyboardist Rob Collins died in a car accident near Rockfield Studios. The band completed the album, which was released in 1997 and became another UK number one. Featuring One to Another, North Country Boy and How High, it remains one of the central records of their career. Rather than remaining fixed within Madchester or Britpop, The Charlatans continued through Us and Us Only, Wonderland, Up at the Lake, Simpatico, You Cross My Path and Who We Touch, incorporating soul, funk, country rock, electronic production and increasingly reflective songwriting. Their history was marked by a second major loss in 2013 when longtime drummer Jon Brookes died following treatment for a brain tumour. Modern Nature arrived in 2015, followed by Different Days in 2017, featuring a wide group of collaborators and producing the band’s strongest UK chart performance in many years. After an eight-year gap between studio albums, The Charlatans returned in October 2025 with We Are Love, their fourteenth full-length release. Recorded partly at Rockfield Studios and their own Big Mushroom studio, We Are Love was produced with Dev Hynes, Fred Macpherson and Stephen Street. The album consciously reconnects with the places and experiences that shaped the band while continuing their long-standing refusal to become merely a revival act. With three UK number-one albums, twenty-two Top 40 singles and a career extending across more than three decades, The Charlatans remain one of the most enduring bands to emerge from Britain’s late-1980s independent scene.