“We always got told we’d struggle here, but no. As soon as we walk through the door, football is out the window and we’re f***ing cousins,” Courteeners frontman Liam Fray affirmed to the room.
With the band’s solid roots being Manchester, the thousands of adoring fans chanting, bouncing and going, quite honesty, mental to the four lads on stage at Liverpool Echo Arena proved all the doubters wrong.
And it wasn’t just the Courteeners that they were going utterly insane for.
Hundreds were standing in front of the stage, and the surrounding seats were nearly full to the brim – although not many spent the evening sat down on them.
Two support acts were in place to help get the crowd going.
The first was Zuzu, a female musician who charged to the stage with a guitar – and visible confidence.
Originally sounding like her music was of the indie genre, it seemed as though she hadn’t quite found her style yet, going on to deliver her own version of Cardi B’s Be Careful.
It was obvious that the crowd was raring for the next act, Scottish singer, Jerry Cinnamon, from the massive roar that erupted when he hit the stage.
Standing alone with an acoustic guitar, the singer certainly got the crowd going with strong vocals and amusing dance moves. The adoring crowd reacted so well, it might as well have been his own show.
That would have been the case only momentarily, as the real stars of the night were about to emerge.
The room went black. The speakers boomed. The crowd erupted.
Undoubtedly one of the best bands I have ever heard play live. There is just something about the Courteeners – the whole room echoes their songs as if they are their own.
It’s like one big massive mosh pit.
Not only did the singing fill the room, so did smoke from the multiple surprise flares that were set off. Vibrant colours of purple, red and blue accompanied the brilliant pyrotechnics.
From classic songs like Are You In Love With A Notion to What Took You So Long, the crowds were only left wanting more.
I was ecstatic to say the very least when my personal favourite, Small Bones, was featured. It seemed as though everyone else was too.
The band even treated us to brand new songs Better Man and Hanging Off Your Cloud – which were both just as excellent as the rest of their work. I will definitely be scouting YouTube to find them.
Just before leaving fans with their last song, Fray referred to some troubles in the band, saying “We’ve had some tough weeks for the band, I’m not going to go into it,” going on to say how grateful they were to be where they are now.
It seems as though any troubles have only made them stronger, given by their incredible performance throughout the night and the heartfelt hugs shared between each of the lads after bowing to an adoring crowd.
After every Courteeners gig I go, I always doubt how the next could possibly exceed the previous. Somehow, they always do.
