Music > Live Reviews

Courteeners

The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA

18/11/16

As part of their biggest UK tour to date, the Courteeners are back in town this evening showcasing the new album No One Will Ever Replace Us, with many of the new songs getting a good airing during the set.

Despite the early start of 8:30, the atmosphere is quite electric some ten minutes before Liam Fray and his bandmates walk onto the LCR stage, as Oasis' What’s The Story, Morning Glory belts out with the already vibrant audience bawling out every word. You just get the feeling that tonight is going to be a very good night out already; the place is rocking.

Chants of "Liam, Liam, Liam" fill the room as the dedicated followers draw their hero to the stage. You can feel the adoration and love oozing and reverberating around the LCR.

Are You In Love With A Notion kicks off the proceedings and the place goes crazy…….”you’re going to quit Debenhams, elope and get married in the sun”……it’s electric and sets the tone. Mid-set someone on crutches is losing control, sitting on someone’s shoulders, and it more than epitomises the occasion! Fray bawls at the security man (as the man in yellow gets all serious) to “stop ruining the vibe”, somehow mid-song comfortably slotting those words into the song’s lyrics. It’s a master stroke. Why ruin the party when it’s in full flow?

It’s a fantastic set as something from every one of their five albums to date gets a play, everyone is in dreamland. As the album title suggests, no one will ever replace them if ever they decide to jack it all in, as tonight they conquer Norwich. It feels like they really could Take Over The World.

They close the evening with Here Come The Young Men, Not Nineteen Forever and then What Took You So Long?

The house lights go up. Most gigs normally end right there and the band take their final applause for the evening, but Mr Fray is still cavorting and has other ideas, despite the UEA staff keen to prepare the venue for Tuesday nights post student club night.

He walks round the stage and gathers up the band members' set lists, then gets himself in the mosh pit and hands them out, hugging, kissing and hand shaking with the audience many of whom are still in a party mood and singing the Euro 2016 football anthem, Please Don’t Send Me Home. No wonder everyone loves him and his band.