Music > Live Reviews

Courteeners // UEA LCR - 11.03.10

10/05/13

For an entrée, a full rendition of Oasis' ‘Rock and Roll Star’ booms out over the PA before The Courteeners even appear. It seems an unnecessary homage, as the doppelganger thing needs no hamming up.

For the briefest of moments you wonder exactly which Liam – Fray or Gallagher - swaggers on stage, all stripy top, 1970s barnet and aviators. It's tongue in cheek for sure, but playing out the whole thing smacks of serious sycophancy.

Even the police are in on the act. With a strong presence on the door you'd be forgiven for thinking a football match awaits. Thing is, the crowd are a right luvved up lot of cutesie couples, boys that want to be them and girls who just want them.

So the glasses come off, the ‘Liam’ chanting starts and The Courteeners blast into first single 'Cavorting’ and the uber-loyal singalongers are straight in. From their moody Joy Division-isms to the Morrissey mutual appreciation society membership et al, The Courteeners are what they are and don't need to hide behind gimmicks or comparisons.

Liam's parody of frontmen of yesteryear kicks up a gear in the moment a camera passes up to him, some crowd pics get taken, camera passes back and is exchanged for a slip of paper that goes straight in his back pocket. Here's guessing it isn't a song request? 

As strong as the band are, they know how to almost fade away and become the wallpaper to all Fray's furnishings. Funny though that during his acoustic solos, as good as he is, you see a deflation in attitude and enigma - a captain slightly lost at sea on a ship without crew. The boys are at their best when playing to Liam's lyrics of love, lust and longing: ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Please Don't’ seem particularly poignant after a little musing. Liam's between-song banter makes it all feel very intimate.

Finishing up with full-blown versions of ‘Not 19 Forever’ and ‘What Took You So Long’, it's like seeing all this in a festival tent when its worthiness is main stage. Surprisingly, the place isn't packed to the rafters, but whoever didn't fill those spaces will be sorry. It'll be the last time they play venues of this size, these are stars in ascent. Is there room for yet another Melodic Mancunian Messiah? Definitely, maybe.

Tamara Mills