The Courteeners are an indie rock band formed in Manchester, England in 2006 by Liam Fray (guitar/vocals), Michael Campbell (drums/backing vocals), Daniel Conan Moores (Guitar), and Mark Cuppello (bass). All four band members hail from the Middleton area of Greater Manchester,[1] and have known each other since they were ten years old. They all attended Cardinal Langley RC High School in Middleton.
Formation
Whilst at the University of Salford (studying Creative Writing), Liam Fray went round bars performing acoustic sets as a singer-songwriter. After getting positive reactions from the crowd, Fray decided to leave University and form a band.[2] Liam first recruited long time friend Michael Campbell, who at the time had never played the drums before in his life. They continued to play under the name ‘Liam Fray’ until Conan Moores (Guitar) and Mark Cuppello (Bass) joined to form the entire band.[3] They had their first gig at the Manchester Roadhouse in October 2006, and quickly went from strength to strength within Manchester, largely through a word of mouth following brought on by extensive gigging and television publicity. The Courteeners released their debut single “Cavorting” on 6th August 2007 by Loog Records.[4] A second single, “Acrylic” was released on 22nd October 2007 reaching number 44 in the UK Chart.[5]
St. Jude
The Courteeners were approached by legendary producer Stephen Street of Smiths, Blur and Morrissey fame through their label Polydor about the posiblity of them working with each other and together they set about working on the Courteeners’ debut album.[6] They first released the single, entitled “What Took You So Long?” on the 14th January 2008, the song reached #20 in the United Kingdom.[7] Debut album, St. Jude, was released on 4th April 2008 on Polydor Records. Then, the album itself reached the No.4 position in the UK Charts,[8] and has since gone on to achieve gold status. The album was preceded by the release of single “Not Nineteen Forever” on 31st March 2008,[9] entering at #19 and becoming their highest charting single to date. A fifth single, “No You Didn’t, No You Don’t” was released on 23rd June 2008.
Falcon
The band’s second album ‘Falcon’ was confirmed for release on 22 February 2010. This was preceded by a single ‘You Overdid It Doll’ on February 15, 2010. The album was recorded at ICP Studios in Belgium and produced by Ed Buller (White Lies, Pulp, Suede). The album was well received by the British music press with NME awarding the album 8/10 and both Mojo & Q Magazines giving the album 4 star reviews.
Many songs from the band’s second album including ‘The Opener’, ‘You Overdid It Doll, and ‘Take Over The World’ made their live debuts at two UK shows in December 2009. The first at Warrington Parr Hall was followed by a sold out headline homecoming show at the 10,000 capacity Manchester Central – formerly know as Manchester GMEX. Tickets for the show sold out within a week.
The first song released from the album was “Cross My Heart and Hope To Fly” making it’s radio debut on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show as his Hottest Record In The World. The track was released as a free download through their official website on 7 December 2009 as well as a seven-inch version with a B-side.
Falcon’s first official single ‘You Overdid It Doll’ was released a week before the album’s release on 15 February. This also saw it’s radio debut on BBC Radio 1′s Zane Lowe show. Lowe, a big supporter throughout the band’s career, once again made it his Hottest Record In The World . The single was added to daytime radio playlists including BBC Radio One, XFM, and BBC 6 Music.
A UK Tour to coincide with the album’s release was announced in December 2009. The tour includes dates at London Brixton Academy, Blackburn King George’s Hall and Blackpool Empress Ballroom.
In Falcon’s first week it entered the top 10 at a respectable 6th
Liam Fray and Michael Campbell appeared on Sky Sports Saturday Morning Football Show ‘Soccer AM’ to talk to Max Rushden and Helen Chamberlain about new album Falcon.
Discography
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | Peak Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2008 | St. Jude
|
4 | |
| 2010 | Falcon
|
6 |
EPs
- Here Come The Young Men – 16 January 2008 [Japan only]
- Live At Manchester Apollo – 10 October 2008 [7Digital download only]
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2007 | “Cavorting” | 192 | St. Jude |
| “Acrylic” | 44 | ||
| 2008 | “What Took You So Long?” | 20 | |
| “Not Nineteen Forever” | 19 | ||
| “No You Didn’t, No You Don’t” | 35 | ||
| “That Kiss” | 36 | Non-Album Single | |
| 2010 | “You Overdid It Doll” | 28 | Falcon |
| “Take Over The World” |
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