Often considered to be one of the finest acts to come from Manchester that didn’t contain a Gallagher, The Couteeners have become one the UK’s premier indie bands.
The 4 piece, fronted by Liam Fray, have had a strong bond since before the band was even formed, having known each other from the age of ten. After Liam played some well received acoustic sets during his (short-lived) university stint, he decided to pack his education in and form a band, initially recruiting Michel Campbell as drummer (even though he had never touched a drum kit) and rounding out the group with Daniel "Conan" Moores and Mark Joseph Cuppello.
The band quickly went from their first gig in October 2006 to their first chart appearance under a year later for their single ‘Cavorting’, their popularity being accelerated by word of mouth hype around Manchester.
The band was approached by Stephen Smith, a man who had previously produced with The Smiths and Morrissey making him the obvious producer choice for their first record which turned out to be 2008’s ‘St Jude’. The album reached number 4 in the charts, its success being driven by the anthemic single ‘Not Nineteen Forever’.
The continued success of follow up albums like ‘Falcon’, ‘Anna’ and ‘Concrete Love’ has made them a popular live act as well. They are a staple act at major festivals and have played everywhere from Glastonbury to Isle of White. They are still heroes in their hometown as well and have headlined the 16000 capacity Manchester Arena 3 times.
Ashley Cooke
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