This blog post is all about my Courteeners concert review.
To say the Courteeners firmly put their stamp on Australian soil last night in the Metro Theatre would be a bit of an understatement.
By the final song of their first Australian show my ears were ringing from the volume of cheering and I was unsure if the floor was going to withstand the jumping from the crowd.
To quickly summarise, it was one hell of a performance that garnered an incredibly positive reception from their clearly adoring fans here in Sydney.
This blog post is all about my Courteeners concert review in Sydney, Australia.
Who Are the Courteeners?
Hailing from Middleton in Manchester, the Courteeners are made up of four members: Liam Fray (frontman), Daniel Moores (guitar), Michael Campbell (drums) and Mark Cuppello (bass).
They seem to have also recently added a fifth member to the band, Elina Lin on the keyboard who performed at their recent Sydney show.
With seven albums under their belt, it’s safe to say the’ve been around for quite some time. Most recently, they released their latest album Pink Cactus Cafe in 2024.
Two Years Ago in London
Throwing it back to two (or maybe three, who’s counting?) years ago in London, I saw the Courteeners for the first time in the O2 Academy in Brixton.
Admittedly, the only song of theirs I was familiar with was “Not Nineteen Forever,” but since then I’ve been a regular fan.
Back then, the crowd was full of Liam Gallagher haircuts, bucket hats, green parka jackets and pints flying through the air.
Fast forward to last night’s gig and not much has changed except for new songs, a new haircut from Liam Fray and another electric performance.
The Venue: Metro Theatre
If you’re new here, I only recently moved to Sydney four weeks ago. So, I’m a bit of a newbie when it comes to concert venues around the city.
So far, I’ve attended Luke Combs in the Accor Stadium and that’s it.
Walking into the Metro Theatre in Sydney’s city centre instantly reminded me of the O2 Academy in Brixton. The same venue I saw the Courteeners perform for the first time.
With a small standing area in front of the stage, a raised, stepped viewing platform towards the back with a bar at the rear and some seats at the top, it made for the perfect venue for the Courteeners.
I had a great vantage point from the raised steps area, a ledge to set my drink and a great view to watch as the standing area became a large mosh pit for the final 30 minutes of the gig.
Support Act: Biig Time
Australian band Biig Time started the night’s events at 8pm. Made up of two brothers (Johnny Took of the DMA’s, and Matty Took of PLANET) and their drummer.
It appears to be something of a side project for the two brothers as they revealed it was only their third ever time performing for a crowd.
There were a few technical issues with the guitars and sound system, but for the most part they kept the crowd entertained and geared up to welcome the Courteeners.
The Main Act: Courteeners
Just before the Courteeners graced the stage, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory was played out across the venue.
With everyone in attendance belting the song out word for word, I knew I was in for a great night as the crowd were definitely geared up for it.
The audience was 80% male and every accent I heard around the venue was either English, Scottish, or Irish. There was also at least one Welsh person there as a Cardiff City flag was being waved around throughout the gig.
The Courteeners do give off a very Britpop vibe akin to The Smiths, Oasis, The Stone Roses and The Arctic Monkeys. Their audience demographic is very similar, and I almost felt like I had been transported back to my second home of Liverpool for the night.
It’s easy to tell that Liam Fray is born to be a frontman and he completely owned the stage while the rest of the band quietly played their part in the background.
The crowd were there for every song, belting out every lyric and almost jumping through the floor at certain songs.
It might have been a smaller venue than the Courteeners are used to, but they put on one hell of a show for Sydney and I don’t think anyone left without feeling the buzz and adrenaline radiating from everyone else around them and the band.
I can honestly say it was one of the best gigs I’ve been to in quite some time.
Special Appearance from DMA’s
Tommy O’Dell from the Australian band DMA’s is featured on the latest track from the Courteeners, “The Beginning of the End,” and was brought on stage to perform the song with the band.
A small percentage of the crowd seemed to be familiar with the singer and many already knew the words to the song.
The DMA’s supported the Courteeners on their recent UK tour, and as mentioned above, another member of the DMA’s (Johnny Took) was the support act for this Sydney gig with his band Biig Time.
The Set List
The opener was “Are You in Love With A Notion?” which had the crowd jumping up and down from the first bars of the song.
Liam Fray continued with the Courteeners’ best hits, and came back to the stage on his own to play a few songs solo, including a crowd pleaser, Smiths Disco.
He threw in a quick cover of “It Must Be Love,” by Madness, ending the night with “Not Nineteen Forever,” that had the crowd going nuts.
Stand out songs from the night for me were “That Kiss,” “Take Over the World,” and “Smiths Disco.”
Coming Up Next
I noted in my recent concert review that my next, upcoming gig is the Misneach Festival in March.
The Courteeners gig popped up out of nowhere, so who knows, I could be back with another gig review before then.
If not, I will be seeing Dermot Kennedy, Kneecap, Amble, and Matt Corby among a long list of others in The Domain, Sydney for Dermot Kennedy’s new Irish music festival.
It will be my sixth time seeing Dermot Kennedy live, but I’m highly intrigued to see Kneecap and the crowd reaction/atmosphere. More to come!
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