Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Outside of those keeping close tabs on the alternative underground, The Charlatans UK and Ride didn’t gain a ton of commercial traction in America, but they are undoubtedly two of the finest English exports from the 1990s.

Both acts maintain a significant presence overseas, with the former notching no less than 22 singles, including three chart-toppers, and the latter helping lay the groundwork for the entire shoegaze subgenre.

It’s been about three decades, give or take a bit after pandemic-induced delays, since either act released what many consider to be their most prominent projects, but both are finally getting the front to back treatment on a co-headlining tour.

In the case of The Charlatans UK, who took the closing slot at a sold out Vic Theatre, that meant all of 1992’s “Between 10th And 11th,” an ambitious, rhythmically sophisticated album produced by Flood (U2) and made in flux of several behind the scenes drams, initially leaving some fans and much of the press perplexed, but now widely embraced as an underrated essential.

Singer Tim Burgess, bassist Martin Blunt, guitarist Mark Collins and keyboardist Tony Rogers demonstrated exactly why as they performed true-to-form renditions of “I Don’t Want To See The Sights,” “Tremelo Song,” “Weirdo” and “(No One) Not Even the Rain,” drawing upon booming Britpop, Northern soul and even a hint of house.

Though co-founding keyboardist Rob Collins and drummer Jon Brookes have since died, The Charlatans UK never stopped recording exciting material well into the 2000s, a bit of which made their way into the set after the main event, all the way back to the early and still durable breakout, “The Only One I Know.”

If it were summer, Ride could’ve easily landed on the roster of Riot Fest once again, but moving inside allowed everyone to more intently focus on all the intricate nuances of its lofty sonic experiments from the complete “Nowhere” collection.

That meant “Seagull,” “Kaleidoscope,”” Vapour Trail,” the title track and others in all of their trippy, noisy, neo-psychedelic glory, courtesy of vocalist/guitarists Mark Gardener and Andy Bell (also from latter day Oasis), bassist Steve Queralt and drummer Laurence “Loz” Colbert, who fully reunited in 2014.

An encore filled with assorted tracks from then to now further asserted the guys’ place as ultimate visionaries, who well over thirty years since the Ride began, remain entirely in their own lane.

For additional information on The Charlatans UK and Ride, visit TheCharlatans.net and TheBandRide.com.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions concerts, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Vic Theatre include Samia (Feb. 17); Margo Price (Feb. 21); Floyd Nation (Feb. 24); Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew (Feb. 25); Blue October (Mar. 3); Parov Stelar (Mar. 4); K. Michelle (Mar. 11); Mark Normand (Mar. 18); “RedHanded” Podcast (Mar. 25); Bob The Drag Queen & Monét X Change (Mar. 26); Sarah Millican (Mar. 29) and Stavros Halkias (Mar. 31-Apr. 2). For additional details, visit VicTheatre.com.

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