The Beat Surrender

The Courteeners were tipped well before the end of 2007 to be one of the big breakthrough acts of this year and the lairy Mancs are showing all the right signs of living up to that hype. They’ve hit the top twenty with What Took You So Long, sold out their tour dates and are set to release their new single on 31st March entitled Not Nineteen Forever.

The single proceeds the release of their debut album St Jude on 7th April. We caught up Liam Fray from the band recently to find out how they are coping with the hype and to try and instigate a bit more Manchester – Liverpool rivalry!

Things have really started to kick off for you in the last six months, how are you finding everything at the moment?

We’ve been touring for about a month now, so if I’m honest with you I’m knackered, but the adrenalin keeps you going. Life’s great, I’ve got the best job in the world.

When you first started out did you realise that you had the right chemistry between you (I know you’ve known each other since you were ten) and that you were going to be successful?

We didn’t really think about it that much to be honest, I was just playing songs in my bedroom on my own at the time and decided I needed a drummer. My best friend lived next door & I had a drum kit in the garage, so he came round, we had a practice and he seemed to get the hang of it straightaway. Within a few months we had a full band and were practicing almost every night of the week. When we weren’t practicing we’d be playing gigs around town. It’s the best way to do it. Every week we were getting tighter and tighter. The reaction and support we got from people in Manchester (and around) really was phenomenal.

Does hailing from Manchester put added pressure on you with all the musical heritage that has gone before?

It’s a great musical heritage. It’s there and it makes you proud that you come from the same place as those bands. We’ve always embraced them. A lot of new bands in Manchester almost seem embarrassed by what happened before. I can’t understand that. It’s these bands that probably feel under pressure. Trying to keep up that false pretence for so long must be tiring.

Talking of pressure have you noticed any difference in that since you signed from Loog to Polydor?

We work with all the people attached to Loog, the people who came to all our early gigs, the ones who us signed are the people we deal with. We have a fantastic relationship with our label.

How did you find touring with the Coral, Merseyside and Manchester haven’t always seen eye to eye over the years?

That’s an appalling stereo-typical, football induced, assumption! I’ve always seen eye-to-eye with Merseyside. The Coral are top lads. Great band.

You have a new single coming out in March. Can you tell us what that is about?

Not Nineteen Forever- it’s about a lost weekend I had. Just sometimes, its good not to indulge in excess. Sometimes!

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