Music
Plus One
The 11 best Courteeners songs
As the indie giants celebrate their God Bless The Band compilation with UK arena shows, we revisit the defining moments of their discography
Forever having to contend with the shadow of Oasis, The Smiths and The Stone Roses in Manchester, the breakthrough, consistency and subsequent endurance of Courteeners is seriously impressive. In their city, they’ve headlined six sold-out outdoor shows across Heaton Park, Old Trafford Cricket Ground and Wythenshawe Park, while also topping the bill at scores of UK festivals and sub-headlining the Reading & Leeds main stage in 2018.
Although their setlists generally lean on their seminal 2008 debut St. Jude, the following six albums have seen Liam Fray and co. progress their songwriting far beyond their sweaty indie roots. August’s ‘Best Of’ compilation God Bless The Band chronicled the best of the rest, alongside quintessential St. Jude hits including ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and ‘Cavorting’.
New song ‘Plus One Forever’ was recorded for the compilation, but it faces fierce competition from seven albums of Courteeners material for a spot on this coveted leaderboard. Ahead of this week’s UK arena tour and some newly-announced summer 2027 headline dates, we pick out the top 11 tracks from the Courteeners catalogue.
11. ‘Next Time You Call’
(Concrete Love, 2014)
Packed with Miles Kane-esque swagger, this stomping riff bulldozes its way onto this list as Fray shrugs off the irresistible pull of a former lover: “Baby, I hate your love”. Although it’s the intimacy of ‘Summer’ and ‘Small Bones’ that have stood out from Concrete Love, there’s an infectious attitude to this song that doesn’t show up in much of the band’s discography, and a reminder to budding guitarists that the strongest melodies aren’t always the most technical.
10. ‘Cavorting’
(St. Jude, 2008)
As that frantic riff climbs up the chromatic staircase, into the sweaty nightclub “full of overrated dehydrated goggled eyed girls”, this ticket back to 2008 comes alive at every Courteeners gig. “We’re gentlemen, aren’t we?” cries Fray from his high horse, painting his picture from a night out that has ultimately stood the test of time; ‘Cavorting’ is the third most-streamed song on St. Jude, and an entry we can’t ignore on this list.
9. ‘Weekend Shy Of A Feeling’
(Pink Cactus Café, 2024)
Introduced by one of the most lucid bass tones we’ve ever heard, this take on swaying, sun-kissed indie-pop still retains plenty of ’teeners DNA. One of its apparent lyrical motifs, articulating the weekend dopamine hit we often crave (“Do you think it’s easy? / I don’t”), is wrapped up carefully in the leisurely pace of the song. Hitting without the gravitas of a typical chorus, the dynamics maybe resemble the lack of a magic wand to instantly fill those voids.
8. ‘Acrylic’
(St. Jude (special edition), 2008)
If indie music were a bouncy castle, it would be ‘Acrylic’, a crash course in the semi-fast jingly-jangly tones we associate with Courteeners’ breakout period and the wider 2000s British scene. Released as a standalone single in 2007, it didn’t actually make the cut for St. Jude – only appearing on special or remastered editions – but has nonetheless become one of their most revered tracks. “You’re just like plasticine / But you’re moulded into a libertine dreamer” is an absolute mouthful – but, as far as Courteeners lyrics go, it’s a call to arms.
7. ‘Lose Control’
(Anna, 2013)
Although there is an Anna track literally called ‘Welcome To The Rave’, ‘Lose Control’ is that record’s best example of borderline rave-rock escapism. We’re not talking The Prodigy here, but more in the vein of pumping synth-rock that incites a rush of blood to the head, and a dense wall of sound that fills out the room rather than smacking you on the head. Its creepier verse gives it an unexpected duality, making the chorus feel dizzying when it does land. One of Fray’s more left-field vocal performances, it was ultimately a risk worth taking.
6. ‘Modern Love’
(Mapping The Rendezvous, 2016)
Marking the band’s first ever collaborative track, Adam Anderson and Theo Hutchcraft of Manc duo Hurts helped write ‘Modern Love’, which famously name-drops city centre venue The Star & Garter. Fuzzy guitar tones aren’t something you’d normally associate with Courteeners, but the humming riff in question here sits tastefully underneath the song’s buoyant momentum. Drummer Michael Campbell’s soaring backing vocal harmonies lift this track to the next level.
5. ‘Better Man’
(More. Again. Forever., 2020)
Fray’s mental health came more visibly into focus on More. Again. Forever., and acoustic-led pop ballad ‘Better Man’ is a particularly earnest highlight. It seems simple, but the caveat of “I’m trying to be a better man / Whatever that is” strikes such a chord to the battles we all face, paired with the gliding chorus instrumentation that ensures the lyrics’ staying power. Its breathing space adds another welcome dimension to the Courteeners setlist framework.
4. ‘Bitten By Unseen Teeth’
(Pink Cactus Café, 2024)
Sam Fender or Bruce Springsteen would bite Fray’s hand off for this one, given the way it harnesses a grandiosity and uplift that – alone – could “snatch” anyone “from the jaws of our defeat”. Closing their most recent album with an “old school Courteeners diary entry”, the immediacy of Fray’s textbook picture-painting (“Yer bedside table / Is looking at me funny”) sits gorgeously against the runaway tempo and the flood of nostalgic imagery: “Memories keeping control of me”.Hearing this live will be a memory you won’t want to erase.
3. ‘Not Nineteen Forever’
(St. Jude, 2008)
If you were expecting ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ locked in at number one, it’s a compliment to the renewed potency of the band’s songwriting that their undeniably biggest hit only secures the bronze medal position. Stitched into the fabric of indie discos, student house parties and defining 2000s bangers, it’s arguably the access point for the generations of kids who have discovered the band long after 2008. In five months’ time, it’ll celebrate its own 19th birthday.
2. ‘The 17th’
(Mapping The Rendezvous, 2016)
Many Courteeners songs cut straight to the case, but ‘The 17th’ is a sprawling and winding odyssey. Its tension builds with false starts, leading up to the release of Coldplay-like ecstasy when it finally does drop. Despite the cinematic edge to the live rendition, it carries some of Fray’s most immediate and delicate vocal moments, as he whispers “just know that you’re not on your own”. Perhaps their most ambitious track of all time.
1. ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’
(Anna, 2013)
Every guitar band has a reliable anthem to get things going early doors, be it ‘Brianstorm’, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ or ‘Morning Glory’. Courteeners’ own version is the apex point of their whole show, from the sing-along top line through to the stuttered tension-building in the bridge. But it’s the chorus’ atmosphere that sets it apart: Fray’s controlled and bittersweet vocals; tremolo picking that helps the lead guitar land like a shot of euphoria. In hindsight, this catalyst of their live set also arguably signalled the tipping point towards a sound that could only belong in arenas and parks. From there, Courteeners have never looked back.
Courteeners tour the UK from 6 – 21 November 2026 and 11 June – 28 August 2027. Find tickets here
