The Courteeners

A party-hungry crowd packed into Wolverhampton Civic Hall on a wet and windy night for an evening of flares, crowd surfing and singalongs for a band so underistimated they had to upgrade from the Wulfrun Hall within hours of tickets going on sale earlier this year.

What a wise move it was.

Out of all of the bands who shot up in the aftermath of Arctic Monkeys rise to power all those years ago, The Courteeners have done the best job of making a name for themselves on their terms.

Starting off with Are You In Love With A Notion?, the tone was set for the night.

It wasn't just the lyrics that were shot back at frontman Liam Fray, each and every guitar line and drum beat was echoed tenfold.

The captivating frontman, a fireball of energy throughout, knows how to work a worked-up crowd and by sticking to the hits early on, he ensured anyone brave enough not to be onside from the get go was soon dragged on board.

Cavorting, Please Don't and Kings of the New Road combined to conjure up a nostalgic atmosphere that left nobody unsure of just what the band has always been about, the raw power of British rock and roll.

Newer material was sparse but Small Bones and How Good It Was made sure the evening didn't descend into a trip down memory lane.
The Courteeners have a certain appeal that is hard to put your finger on if you haven't been inducted into their world of lager laced anthems.

Half football match, half emotional love in, their gigs are never short on emotion or mayhem.

It is an overwhelming thing to be a part of.

Following cuts from Falcon such as Take Over The World and Sycophant and a pitch perfect acoustic section where Fray and his crowd truly became one, it was time for the big guns.

Not Nineteen Forever and What Took You So Long brought the curtain down, although it felt like only a few minutes had passed.
There isn't a bigger venue in Wolverhampton for them to play, although the Civic seems a perfect fit for their slightly anachronistic yet endlessly cool shows.

Fray and his compadres can rest assured that everyone who filled the venue last night will be back next time.

Having seen them perform at the back bar of the Civic Hall back in 2008, it's hard not to be proud of the evolution of a band who will never really change, probably for the better.

The Courteeners are adored locally and globally, having sold out the Manchester Arena in 2010 they have gone on to play massive outdoor shows such as Wigan’s Haigh Hall and Delamere Forest in 2011 and two sold out dates at Castlefield Bowl in 2013.

The Courteeners experience is never the same as the band also play many more intimate gigs on their tours across the UK at venues such as the O2 academies and even university unions. This scope of venue capacity is just the start of why the Courteeners are an addictive band. Their songs are anthemic and perfect for stadium shows but retain their intimacy through wonderfully crafted lyrics that anyone living in the UK can relate to especially those from the north.

There is no better tune to exemplify this than ‘The Opener’ taken from their second album Falcon. If you’re looking to get into this band, I couldn’t pinpoint one song or album to listen to, you need listen to all three albums as they show the progression of this incredible band.

From the first time I saw them in 2007 at O2 Apollo in Manchester I knew I’d fallen in love with their music and they haven’t disappointed the 6 or 7 times I have seen them since.

I’m a late comer in terms of being a fan of The Courteeners who have grown on me ‎over recent years rather than making an initial impact. Many of my favourite songs ‎of theirs are what you might not consider to be fan favourites so it was unsurprising ‎that seven plus did not make the set list. However to say I enjoyed every single song ‎immensely (and there were over 20 of them) for me tells you how good this band are ‎and I loved their attitude, performance and presence. ‎

The pre-gig atmosphere was great as Oasis’ ‘Morning Glory’ got the crowd going ‎before The Courteeners came on stage and opened up to the brilliant “Are you in ‎Love with Notion”. The set was then a great a blend of old favourites and songs ‎from their latest album. There was a great moment when frontman Liam Fray played ‎an acoustic set before the encore that closed rapturously with Acylic, Here Come ‎the Young Men, Not Nineteen Forever and What Took You So Long. ‎

Following Heaton Park, Leeds / Reading, an arena tour and Old Trafford ‎coming up – it is safe to say that The Courteeners are an established British ‎Heavyweight getting better and better. ‎

Having enjoyed their music over the years, a chance to see them at the relatively small venue of the LCR at the UEA (this band have done arena tours) seemed a good opportunity to 'get close'. I suppose many bands, having reached great heights, would play down such a venue but, happily, Courteeners did not. They brought an impressive back wall of lights, plus all the usual spots/vari-lights, coupled with a great sound and delivered an hour and a half of brilliant anthemic tunes, to which most of the enthusiastic audience sang, apart from 3 acoustic numbers Liam Fray did in the last half hour, setting the show up for a glorious finale. Liam held the audience in his hands for the 90 minutes, his co-band members playing bass, rhythm guitar and piano/keyboards in a calm, unobtrusive, and efficient manner, giving him even greater prominence in front of some great drumming. If you get a chance to see them, TAKE IT!

Been to many gigs and festivals and have never left a set early no matter what it is like. Last night had to leave the courteeners gig after less than 30 mins. The venue was overpacked and full of teenage boys looking for a fight. I enjoy a moshpit as much as the next person but this was not the usual fun moshing and dancing, but people trying to cause pain to eachother on purpose. My boyfriend tried to protect me from this and move me away but we could not get out due to the venue being over packed and everyone being squashed. Felt scared I was going to be crushed at many points, and also sustained a hard kick to the head! The sound was pretty bad too, with the singers voice being far to low volume against the guitar. Couldn't understand a word that he was singing, which is a shame as I love their recorded music.
Would not see the courteeners again, but would return to the venue to see a smaller band.

Beautiful venue. Great view from row 1 of the stalls. Good support from Blossoms who I saw a couple of times in 2017. Always fun

We were reminded why we were here but some amazing young people & then the main event. Liam & the boys ripped through the classic album St Jude in full. Aftershow started the set. Kymberly then Cavorting and the place was rocking. By the end of the night all had been covered. Liam did a solo acoustic stint which featured How Come & Yesterday, Today & Probably Tomorrow. Smattering of songs from their other albums completed the 23 song setlist. The place literally bounced when Not Nineteen Forever was played & a snippet of James’ Sometimes in What Took You So Long completed a stellar night.

Saw concert at Manchester arena and from the moment the band walked out the place was jumping! Played a real mix of crowd pleasers-The opener, Cavorting, Bide your time, Beautiful Head, Please don’t , Summer to name but a few( check out the full set list)Covered stuff from all albums including new stuff which actually worked well live. I loved the section with the strings and the acoustic section! They were on for quite a time and you absolutely got your money’s worth- they were fantastic! At the end not nineteen forever was played and I thought the roof of the arena would come off! Liam certainly knows how to get the crowd going and we were in fine voice for this gig! I’m looking forward to seeing them in 2020!

The courteeners were litttttt! Liam Fray is a legend. I was so petrified of going after being at the Ariana concert but seriously the atmosphere was amazing everyone was so welcoming and unified. The emotions running through the crowd we're overwhelming, the best place to be. Purely amazing, thank you.

Cracking night - band were on top form, opening night of the tour & would definitely recommend catching them - top band ! The audience reaction is always brilliant - I'm an older fan & prefer the seats but down on the floor the kids were having a ball - get yourself to see them!

Amazing as always! I was surprised at how many songs they played with it being a lesser known venue but definitely got our money's worth. Fantastic atmosphere and a great way to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of St Jude! Can't wait for the next gig in Manchester on April 7th.