Thursday 11/10/07 The Courteeners @ Academy 2, Manchester

Hype is often misleading and always subjective. The last time a Manchester band were making headlines before having released a single record, we were being promised that Nine Black Alps were here to save rock n roll and reinstate Manchester as the UK’s music city. It never happened. For all that Nine Black Alps’ faux American rock didn’t really wash with the masses, The Courteeners, with all their charm and witticisms are quintessentially British.

Bedecked in his trademark beads and Fred Perry, having no doubt utilised his staff discount when working in their shop, Fray is part mod and part Moz with all the attitude of a Gallagher. The Courteeners aren’t just his band, but his gang and so it feels are the 1,000 strong audience who have packed into the Academy 2 for their biggest gig to date. Like Weller and Morrissey before him, Fray’s acutely observed lyrics draw from everyday musings and reflect the class system that still grips this country - Just because my newspaper pages haven’t been The Times in ages, does this mean that I don’t know as much as you.

From opening track, 'Aftershow' their loyal following chant the lyrics back to every song amongst a backdrop of flying beer cups. There are bands with five albums under their belt that would kill for this kind of adoration. As bodies fly overhead, there is a united feeling of abandon and escapism from the dull reality of life that remains outside these four walls. This is the kind of tribal gathering that we haven’t seen since Oasis piped up singing about Elsa and Alka-Seltzer. Songs are beautifully constructed with each aggressive lyric seemingly accentuated by a bold staccato chord and romantic musings set to rolling Smiths-like melodies.

'What Took You So Long' and 'Bide Your Time' are anthems in waiting and go some way to justifying the hype. What sets The Courteeners apart from most of the current British crop is that their ammunition doesn’t stem from wars being fought thousands of miles away or the impending doom of global warming, perhaps because like someone before him once said “it says nothing to me about my life”. Songs which, to a one seem motivated by hatred and frustration are fuelled by that which lies a little closer to home and serve to tap into the hearts and minds of the Mancunian masses.