The Courteeners Benicassim
The Courteeners are a band on the cusp of great things; with debut album St Jude still selling well, the band are in bullish mood. Despite the sun and sangria this might as well be back in Blighty than Benicassim. The front third of the tent seems imported straight from Mancunia and it proves difficult to hear anything but a north west accent. Local heroes they may well be but overseas they still have something to prove.
On a day when inspiring male singer songwriters flood the line-up, lead singer Liam Fray seems roused. During Please Don’t he seems to mimic Morrissey with his onstage suffering and storytelling, knowing full well he could be watching from the side of the stage. Cavorting takes an ironic twist, disdaining lads holidays when a large proportion of the crowd are currently on one. There is subtlety to their method; to tone things down a touch Fray performs alone acoustically for An Ex Is An Ex For A Reason and it works brilliantly in its poignant delivery as well as giving many the chance to rest. The band close on What Took You So Long? to which Fray insists that the crowd go mental, he needn’t have asked. As the tent filters many are still bellowing the chorus, do remember that would be in Spain not Salford.