But regardless of the admission price an enthusiastic crowd got full value from The Charlatans, on tour to promote their 10th studio album.

The five-piece band played a few singles from You Cross My Path, such as Oh! Vanity, but the main focus was on rolling out the crowd-pleasing anthems that have sustained them over their 18 year life span.

Lead singer Tim Burgess - sporting a new basin-like haircut - is the life and soul of the ensemble, loosely waving his arms around and toying with the audience.

His liveliness ensures he stands out like a full moon among his statuesque band mates, who appear fully focussed on producing the group's excellent sound.

The guitar and bass of the outfit dominate their output - and Burgess' angelic voice - which gives a testosterone-charged, driven feel to their music. Given this, the final piece in the band's jigsaw - the keyboard - is a welcome component.

The crowd - a mixture of students and late twenty-something couples who look like they'd followed the band since their inception - were enthusiastic and appreciative. As you might have expected, they were most animated when the band dished out their greatest hits, such as The Only One I Know, Wierdo, You're So Pretty and One To Another.

With such a strong back catalogue, The Charlatans are worth every penny.

12:06am Saturday 17th May 2008

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