'God Bless the Band' Courteeners Announce 'Best Of' Album and 2026 Arena Tour
Courteeners mark 20 years with their first ‘best of’ album, 'God Bless The Band', featuring the new single ‘The Luckiest Man Alive’ and announcing a 2026 UK arena tour.
Arriving via Ignition Music on Friday, August 28, this release comes just before their huge sold-out homecoming show at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park. ‘God Bless The Band’ takes its title from a lyric in ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and showcases a curated run of the indie veterans’ cuts from their 2008 debut ‘St Jude’ through to 2024’s acclaimed ‘Pink Cactus Café’. The collection spans six studio albums across two decades. Two new songs top the collection: ‘Plus One Forever’ and the guitar pop single ‘The Luckiest Man Alive’. Both are produced by frontman Liam Fray and The Coral legend James Skelly.
'God Bless The Band’ will be available in standard formats on heavyweight black double LP, retail-exclusive clear double LP, and CD. Deluxe formats, which include an additional 11 tracks, are available exclusively through the Courteeners’ official store. Pre-order it here, and check out the full tracklist below.
The ‘God Bless The Band’ track list is:
‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’
‘Cavorting’
‘Acrylic’
‘You Overdid It Doll’
‘Pink Cactus Café’
‘Summer’
‘Take Over The World’
‘Bide Your Time’
‘Small Bones’
‘The 17th’
‘Fallowfield Hillbilly’
‘That Kiss’
‘Lose Control’
‘Modern Love’
‘Sycophant’
‘Hanging Off Your Cloud’
‘The Luckiest Man Alive’
‘What Took You So Long?’
‘Not Nineteen Forever’
‘Plus One Forever’
Deluxe album formats include:
‘Sweet Surrender’
‘Chipping Away’
‘Smiths Disco’
‘Sunflower’
‘Winter Wonderland’
‘The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home’
‘International’ (Acoustic)
‘Beautiful Head’
‘More. Again. Forever.’
’20th Century Boy / Cigarettes & Alcohol’ (BBC Radio 2 Session – Live at Glastonbury)
‘Here Come The Young Men’
“In October, it’s 20 years since our first gig, so with a couple of new songs fresh from the studio, the timing just seemed right for a best of,” said Fray. “If we mean half as much to people as they have done to us over the years, then we’ve not done too bad. We look forward to seeing you down the front. God Bless The Fans x”
Fray’s sentiment reflects the band’s enduring connection with their fanbase, built through years of anthemic live shows and a string of gold and platinum-certified albums.
Alongside their intimate launch gig at Manchester’s Night & Day on April 11, Courteeners will embark on a UK arena tour in November supported by The Lathums, with £1 + VAT from each ticket benefiting the new LIVE Trust, which supports grassroots venues and artists. Tickets are on sale now.
The band will also play shows in Stoke-On-Trent, Leicester, headline Tramlines in Sheffield, and perform at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park. The sold-out Wythenshawe Park show marks a landmark moment in the band’s 20-year story, a homecoming gig in the city that made them, in front of one of the biggest crowds of their career. Having previously sold out Manchester’s Heaton Park and the Manchester Arena multiple times over, the Wythenshawe Park show stands as a testament to the band’s unwavering hold on their hometown.
For Record Store Day 2026 on April 11, Courteeners will release ‘Live In Manchester’—recorded at their 2024 Co-Op Live show, on vinyl exclusively at independent record stores.
The 20-track record captures Liam Fray and co’s sold-out hometown arena gig at the Co-op Live in Manchester on November 15, 2024. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Chris Snow, the show formed part of Courteeners’ 2024 UK arena tour in support of their seventh and latest studio album, ‘Pink Cactus Café’.
The live LP features the title track from the group’s most recent full-length effort, as well as ‘The Beginning Of The End’ featuring DMA’s, who were opening for Courteeners on the tour.
The full UK arena tour dates are:
Fri 6th November: Leeds, First Direct Arena
Sat 7th November: Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Fri 13th November: Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Sat 14th November: London, Alexandra Palace
Fri 20th November: Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Sat 21st November: Birmingham, Utilita Arena