Forest Live, the summer concert series presented by Forestry England, has announced a joint-headline performance from guitar icon Johnny Marr and indie legends The Charlatans at Cannock Chase Forest on Friday 28 June 2024. 

Indie stalwarts, The Charlatans formed in 1989, and Tim Burgess and co have since had a string of hit singles including ‘The Only One I Know’, ‘Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over’, ‘One To Another’ and ‘North Country Girl’. The Charlatans have notched up 13 Top 40 studio albums – three of them number ones – alongside 22 Top 40 singles, four of them Top 10 hits. More recently The Charlatans released a career-spanning vinyl box collection ‘A Head Full Of Ideas’. Following rave reviews for their current UK tour, the band will take to the stage after Johnny Marr to close the show at Staffordshire’s Cannock Chase in June. 

Johnny Marr started his career with The Smiths, beginning an amazing history as one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists in British independent music. His subsequent creative journey has seen him at the heart of The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, working with The Pretenders, Talking Heads, and musician and composer Hans Zimmer - most recently on the James Bond No Time To Die soundtrack, including the title track created with Billie Eilish.   

2023 celebrates the first decade of Marr’s solo career. Five UK Top 10 albums now include the recently released Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr (2023). A major new collection curated by Johnny encompassing songs from his first 10 years as a solo artist, including two new singles Somewhere and The Answer, and closely following 2023 photography book Marr’s Guitars, received as a triumph by fans and media alike. 

Forestry England uses the money Forest Live raises to maintain beautiful natural areas for everyone to enjoy, run important conservation projects and keep growing trees. Last year they planted some 7.4 million trees, caring for the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests sustainably and welcoming 291 million visits in 2022-23. Everyone in England lives within a one-hour drive of one of the nation’s forests. Over two million people have enjoyed the Forest Live gigs over the last twenty-three years. This year, they present the concerts in partnership with Live Nation’s Cuffe & Taylor for the first time. Gigs will take place at six forests throughout England – Delamere Forest, Dalby Forest, Sherwood Pines, High Lodge Thetford Forest, Westonbirt Arboretum and Cannock Chase Forest. 

Ticketa are now on sale at forestlive.com.