MUSIC REVIEW: The Courteeners return home with a smash, bang and almighty wallop

It was 2007 when I first set eyes upon what was then a misfit bunch of indie rock '˜n' roll wannabes.
The CourteenersThe Courteeners
The Courteeners

But it wasn’t until the following year when The Courteeners released their astounding debut album, St Jude, that the band became a household name for indie fans and I and everyone at the concert were proudly claiming we’d heard of them before they were popular.

Ten years on from their debut release, the now rock music royalty came back home to the Manchester Arena for an anniversary concert to mark the release.

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The electric atmosphere was enough to infect even the more casual fans, with music lovers of all ages from young teenagers to 40-year-old men and women jumping around for two sublime hours of exhilarating music.

Opening with the likes of Aftershow and Acrylic, frontman Liam Fray then took to the stage on his own for an acoustic solo session, including Smiths Disco, followed by a return of overdrive guitar culminating in mayhem for the penultimate song, Not Nineteen Forever.

And while some rock stars lose where they came from, Liam and the band looked genuinely grateful for their exponential fanbase growth. After all, they are just normal lads who happened to make the big time.

Now excuse me for a bit while I get my voice back and prepare for another decade of appreciating St Jude for its timeless brilliance.