A band I once declared Britain's biggest underground band. A band who have soundtracked mine and countless others' teenage years and early 20s. One of Britain's best live acts, a bunch of friends who took on being in a band and its trials and tribulations in their own way. An underground band that, if you listen to certain critics and radio stations, has one good song. Yet somehow manage to shift 50,000 tickets in minutes.
A band who don't do things by the book, a band that has a genuine and sincere bond with those on the other side of the stage barrier.
A bunch of hometown heroes, who mean it as much now as they did all the way back in 2006. For those of us who get it, they are ours. For those of you who don't, well...
This list isn't for you.
'Pink Cactus Cafe' is one of the band's most vibrant and accessible records to date. This record stretches far beyond their Manchester roots. An album that saw Liam Fray and co collaborate more than ever before. From the soul voice of Brooke Combe on 'Sweet Surrender' to the indie disco supergroup they formed with DMA's on 'The Beginning of the End'.
It's the collaboration with Pixey on 'First Name Terms' that makes this list, though. The band's most political affair to date, a song that hints at the current state of Britain, and hits back at the ruling class, who tell us to get on with it.
The song's opening line, “lie back and think of England, but when does England ever think of you?” It is one of the most profound things that Fray has ever written. Showcasing Liam's ability as a lyricist, with some cutting lines hitting back at a ruling class who “look away from you and me”, finding “another way to shake the fucking tree”.
A highlight from a really good record, and a strength in just how well Courteeners can sum up modern life. I hope it's a sound they explore more, and I definitely hope that they collaborate more.
I nearly didn't put this on the list, and then the 25-year-old Jack had a word with the 18/19 year old Jack. The opener to the band's show, pretty much since its release. Musically and lyrically, it doesn't reinvent the wheel. It's a classic indie pop song, with a catchy hook and a huge chorus.
However, when played live, preferably outside, this song brings a huge amount of energy. I've seen it enough times. Thousands of people collectively lose themselves. Mosh pits open, friends link arms and flares are lit. It's more than a song; it's a communal moment.
Despite not containing some of Fray's best lyrics, it's instantly relatable, written for a generation of dreamers, with lines about the mundane working life, holidays, and romance. “You’re going to quit Debenhams / Elope and get married in the sun.”
For those shared moments, I've had to this song, in those muddy fields and sweaty arenas, it had to make the list.
Released as the second single from 'More. Again. Forever', it's one of the most autobiographical things Fray has ever written. The whole album was born out of the "worst years of his life" and a journey of self-improvement and rediscovery after ‘excess, addiction’ and an existential funk.
Its lyrics are poignant and direct, and tackle his struggles: “I’m trying to be a better man, whatever that is. It's slightly disconcerting. No direction, no set plan”
It showcased a songwriting style that we'd never seen before, full of vulnerability, with a song more reminiscent of R.E.M. than Razorlight. A testament to a band that can write a great song. They're often thrown unfairly into a lad culture bracket, yet the substance on display shows deep artistry.
Released in December 2019, the song had been around for at least a year, with the band debuting it on their 2018 Winter Tour. During a headline slot in Heaton at their biggest show to date, 'Better Man' slotted into the setlist alongside two more then new songs, and the 50,000-strong crowd already knew the words.
There’s a strong case to be made that this is Liam Fray’s most accomplished piece of songwriting. A tender, acoustic-led ballad underpinned by a sparse piano motif, it stands as one of the most affecting love songs of recent years. Melodic and heartfelt, it captures a modern-day kitchen-sink romance with striking intimacy. Fray pines, “like a roaming vagabond / In my hometown and beyond / I don’t know what corner you’re gonna be around…”. The strings rise and fall with a cinematic sweep, while the lyrics cut deep into songwriting at its most powerful.
I first heard it live in a Liverpool arena, stripped back to just Fray and an acoustic guitar. Even in that vast space, it felt disarmingly personal, and it was clear this was something special. It marked a leap forward from the band’s work on Mapping the Rendezvous, a moment of real artistic growth. No surprise, then, that it quickly became a fan favourite, earning its permanent spot in the setlist. Emotive, raw, and quietly anthemic. It distils everything that makes Courteeners great.
The song everyone knows, if you ask the radio DJs or some critics, it's the only good song the band has ever written. Ask a Courteeners fan, it's the penultimate song of one of the best gigs you've ever been to. For me, it's the song that sums up my late teens and early twenties.
A song about growing up, transitioning from youthful excess and recklessness to the realities of adulthood. Something we all go through. Life doesn't pause for any of us. There’s a sense of frustration but also acceptance. It’s a heady mix of nostalgia and forward momentum, as much about celebrating youth as it is about understanding that it’s fleeting..
“You’re not nineteen forever, pull yourself together.” It’s a line that’s both a reminder and a challenge, urging the listener to take stock of their life while acknowledging the allure of youthful abandon. It’s a message that’s just as relevant to someone leaving their teenage years behind as it is to those well into their twenties or beyond.
The song is similar to 'Are You In Love With A Notion', it has taken a new lease of life when played live. It's become the soundtrack to countless indie nights, football stadiums, and festivals, capturing a sense of Northern pride and working-class ethos.
Music has always been woven into my most cherished memories, and gigs are a big part of that. I've seen the Courteeners six times: four in Manchester, once in Liverpool, and at a festival. Hearing this song live sends shivers down my spine every time.
I remember when Blossoms used to play it before stepping on stage; it would light up the room, getting everyone bouncing, even before the band appeared. Some of my best nights at uni were soundtracked by this song, whether in my halls' kitchen, at Shit Indie Disco, or dancing at Heebie Jeebies.
This song fills me with happiness, and the memories attached to it are ones I'll hold onto forever. It brings back the faces of certain people I’ve shared those moments with, reminding me of the power music has to transport us back in time. It takes me back to a time that has since passed and to a person who is no longer with us, making it even more special.
One of the best songs of the 00s and one of the band's best.
The band's first single, released way back in 2007. A statement of intent, and a bit of an attack on the scene that had birthed them. Painting a vivid picture of Manchester's indie nightlife and the characters that the band would encounter on these nights.
But rather than celebrating the indie scene, Fray criticises those who think they're too big for their boots within it.
Speaking to Radio X's John Kennedy about the song, Liam Fray explained it was written from the point of view of an “outsider” in the Manchester music scene and taking a "pot shot" at other bands.
“Cavorting is actually us taking a pot shot at the guys that we knew that were in bands in Manchester that were strutting around thinking they were the dogs.
"They were perhaps treating people [...] like they could just do what they wanted cos they were in a band.
“The song was us kind of going Who do you think you are, you know that's not right? A lot of the songs are us probably being a bit more sensitive without people knowing it.”
Despite the band no longer being the small indie upstarts from Manchester, the song has remained a constant within the setlist, using the second song in, as most people are still getting up off the floor after 'Are You In Love With A Notion'. It's such a well-received track and is comfortably one of their best.
The second single from the band's second album 'Falcon', it's a far cry from the angst that had been present for most of 'St Jude', a much more sensitive and melancholic affair.
It's also one of Fray's best-ever love songs. With a huge chorus, a simple refrain:
"I think it's time for me and you to take over the world"
The album didn't receive as much hype or radio play as their debut, but its songs have remained mainstays of the band's live set. Frontman and songwriter Liam Fray told The Scottish News of the World that it is his favourite track on 'Falcon'. "I knew it as soon as I wrote it," he said. "I just played it on the acoustic and knew it was going to be massive."
It may not have been massive in a chart sense, but the song has been played at most Courteeners shows since its release and has been echoed back to the band by audiences of 50,000 plus at times.
One of the most romantic things the band have ever written, but also one of the most anthemic.
If 'Tahe Over the World' is Fray pining for a girl, 'The Opener' is a love letter to his hometown. Written as the band started to tour more, and with Fray & Co missing home, the song follows a traditional love song structure but makes reference to Manchester.
"I've been away, I've been working
But now I'm back, I need to know if you're still there
And I need to know if you still care
Of course you do, of course you do
You were made for me, and I was made for you"
There's an innocence of youth that Fray associates with his hometown, it's full of nostalgic memories of his childhood and teens, and this is what he misses.
"I miss your eyelashes and the streets where I grew tall
I miss getting piss wet through
Getting to yours and getting warm
I miss stopping over and borrowing someone else's clothes
It's so nice to be home, you'd never have known
That I've even been away"
Backed up by a bridge that the band don't play a note, or even sing a word on, that's the job of the thousands in attendance to do. A simple refrain of "Oohh Ahh" that provides the assist into the verses, and then we are away.
This song is comfortably one of the highlights of a Courteeners gig. I've heard it performed live in Manchester on countless occasions, most notably at the re-opening of the Manchester Arena in 2017.
A classic.
I said earlier in this post that ‘Take Over The World’ is one of the best love songs the band has ever written. But ‘Small Bones’ is the best. It’s an indie love anthem: sharp-witted lyrics, a story grounded in real romance, and an ode to how breathtaking falling in love can be. It has one of the strongest bridges of recent memory, a bridge that unites thousands of indie kids in one moment of unity.
“I've seen you in my dreams, honey
I've watched you in my sleep
We were drinking in the bars, darlin'
’Dancing down the street”
It’s in the verses where Liam Fray’s songwriting really shines. He takes the experience of a long-distance romance and makes it instantly relatable. There are nods to Virgin Pendolino trains and a talent for finding the extraordinary in the everyday. Instead of leaning on overblown gestures that would never happen in real life, ‘Small Bones’ is about late nights out, playing hard to get, and being completely smitten by someone.
This track is untouchable in their live setlist. No matter the tour, ‘Small Bones’ is always there. A highlight of ‘Concrete Love’, it’s also become a live staple. In shows where thousands of indie kids light flares, dive into mosh pits, and jump like their lives depend on it, ‘Small Bones’ provides a rare moment of collective stillness. It’s the point where strangers put arms around each other, new friendships spark, and for a few minutes, the chaos subsides into one simple act: singing together.
This one was really unlucky not to make the list. The band's third single, their first in the UK Top 40 and the closing song to every Courteeners gig.
In a Twitter listening party to celebrate 'St Jude' 15th Anniversary. Fray described the song as "A song about skiving. I took ages going to the post office one day at work. Manager asked me. What took me so long?... you know the rest."
As with most of 'St Jude', Fray wrote the song working for Fred Perry on Police Street in Manchester.
A brilliant song that just misses out of my top ten.
This may be an unexpected one for people, a song only played live by the band four times. Twice in Liverpool and twice in Leeds. Yet I believe it's the best thing the band have ever done, and the best song Liam Fray has ever written. He lays himself bare.
Describing himself as an ‘international worrier’, describing the ‘ghosts of doubt’, and a ‘private hell’ with ‘no sign of slowing down’. It's a heartfelt exposure of the man behind the band.
In an interview with Louder than War, he said, “It’s not an easy song to write” he explains, “it’s not an easy song to sing, and it’s not an easy song to talk about sat here.”
“I spent the most time on that than on any other song. I spent a long time going through it. The first time I played that acoustic, I was playing it, and I just felt something that I’ve very rarely felt before. I just felt very bare and very exposed, and I didn’t like it at all. It was difficult.”
The lyrics are so candid and dark in places, but there's a hope throughout the song. One line always sticks with me, "Without you, where would I be?/Lost for words/Lost at sea".
It's one of the most poignant moments of the band's career, and a line that has stuck with me for a long time. This is a song that I go back to when I'm having a particularly bad time. It's one of those songs that always seems to be there for me.
'Concrete Love' got slated upon its release in 2014, and yet my two favourite Courteeners songs are on this record.
It's also an album that gave us 'Dreamers', 'Beautiful Head' and 'How Good It Was', there's some great stuff on that record.
Thank you for reading
Jack x