Tim Burgess hails unlikely support as he says why he has to be at top of his game in Liverpool

Tim Burgess has explained why he always has to be on top form when he performs in Liverpool.

The Charlatans frontman will arrive in the city on December 5 when the band play Liverpool Guild of Students. The 56-year-old shot to stardom in the late 80s but his ability to evolve and reinvent has meant his sound has stood the test of time and he continues to connect with new audiences.

Tim's passion for performing remains as strong as ever and he explained why he always enjoys a gig in Merseyside. He told the ECHO: "I'm always excited to perform in front of a Liverpool crowd. Since 1990, we've played and grown up with Liverpool music. It has an incredible musical history and we always have to be on our best game."

Tim emerged as part of the Madchester movement but, although he is closely associated with the city down the M62, he said he has always been grateful to receive the backing of Liverpudlians. He said: "Everyone has always been supportive of our bands from the beginning. Every fanzine we'd speak to, even football ones were there is supposedly this huge rivalry."

Tim is a huge Manchester United supporter and laughed as he admitted he enjoyed visits to the city more before the Red Devils recent fall from grace. He joked: "This time people can take the p**s out of me. They have been able to for years. [In the 90s and 00s'] nothing could touch me."

The lead singer boasts an encyclopaedic knowledge of music and paid tribute to Liverpool's important musical heritage. He said: "I used to be really jealous of the older kids who I knew when I was 16 and they were 19 and they were all talking about Eric's. Before that, people would be talking about going to the Cavern. It's just endless.

"I was talking to (OMD's] Andy McLuskey about it a couple of days ago and he played Eric's. He said he supported Joy Division there and these are Gods to me."

Tim utilised his love for music to foster a community in lockdown as he created the Twitter Listening Parties that provided some much needed form of connection when the world was forced to be apart. The concept involved listening along to an album with the artists that made them and Tim said he was blown away by the response as the overwhelming popularity has since sparked a radio show and a podcast.

He said: "It just felt like that it was giving people some kind of fix that was really greatly missing because we couldn't go out to gigs anymore. People felt like they were in a community, even though they were sat at home with their headphones on, they felt like they were part of some sort of musical gathering."

Tim is now relieved to be back on the road with his bandmates and claimed crowds have gained a new appreciation of live music. He said: "It feels like there's always someone trying to take from live music but people need it. It's such a big part of people's lives. It's so many things you can't put your finger on. It's escapism, something to identify with and audience/band participation."

The success of the Listening Parties exposed Tim's sound to new fans who hadn't yet heard his music and connected him to a new generation of people. Tim remains as inventive and creative as he was when he first burst on to the scene more than 30 years ago and he hopes to write a new album with The Charlatans while the band are all together on the road during the tour which stretches into next year.

The band remain as busy as ever, but a hectic schedule is just as Tim likes it as he shared the secrets to The Charlatans staying power and why they have no plans of slowing down any time soon. He said: "We're all from the same sort of background. We're all massive music fans. We've always been quite happy to shed our skin and move into something new. To dismantle the band and try and build it back up again with new parts in different places.

"You have to - and I'm really good at this - forget everything you know. That is the key."

You can find out more information on how to get tickets for the Charlatans gig on December 5 here

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