Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes set for Edinburgh New Year comeback gig

Dec 6 2010 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

CHARLATANS drummer Jon Brookes is set for a triumphant New Year’s Eve return to the stage – playing to 100,000 fans for Hogmanay.

The 41 year-old rock star has undergone weeks of radiation and chemotherapy to tackle a brain tumour that saw him collapse during a US gig earlier this year.

But after joining bandmates onstage in Birmingham in October for his first brief appearance since that Philadelphia concert, he is now set to play a full set at Edinburgh Castle on December 31.

“I can’t wait for the Hogmanay performance,” said the dad-of-three, from Burntwood, Staffordshire.

“It feels like I’ve been away for so long. It’s been really hard not doing the thing that you love. But this is really exciting, particularly to be playing in front of so many people.

“It will be like taking to the stage for the first time all over again.”