It’s the dawn of the 90s and Beggars Banquet, after a decade of goth darkness, are due a little refresh. Enter, The Charlatans – a band surfing the crest of the baggy zeitgeist. Every label in Britain wants to sign them, and lo and behold, where others fail, Martin Mills succeeds. It should be the beginning of a long leisurely stroll towards ‘happily ever after’, but the story of The Charlatans is burdened with more than its fair share of catastrophe and tragedy. Here, frontman Tim Burgess reflects on the reality behind a rock and roll fantasy and the band’s extended tenure as one of the most important bands ever signed to Beggars Banquet.

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