The Charlatans kicked off an acoustic tour last night in one of my old stomping grounds, Wrexham’s Central Station. The tour will see them playing stripped back and reworked songs from their 20 year back catalogue in intimate settings across the UK.

To coincide with the tour, the band have released Warm Sounds EP, a selection of reworked versions of Charlatans classics including ‘North Country Boy’, ‘Only One I Know’ and ‘One To Another’. Not so long ago I would have balked at the very idea, proclaiming it as sacrilege. While nothing can touch the originals, the reworks breathe some new life into the older songs in particular.

Through a touch of sophisticated refinement these songs are given a softer, mellower edge perfect for intimate shows. It must be stressed these are not just simply acoustic version, in the main all that resembles the originals is the personnel and lyrics. Madchester anthem ‘Only One I Know’ is given a plucky 60’s harmonic makeover while ‘North Country Boy’ gets striped back to an almost unrecognizable state. The real delight, ‘One To Another’ is re-imagined as a rootin’ tootin’ rockabilly tune which sounds uncannily sounds like Johnny Cash – who’d have thought it? Fantastic.

You can order the EP from their website or pick it up at one of the shows, dates after the jump.

The Charlatans – One To Another (Acoustic Rework)