Liam Fray Reviews The Singles

Courteeners frontman on Moderat and more…

Love ‘em, loathe ‘em, or simply acknowledge their existence without getting the band’s name tattooed on your wobbly bits: there’s no avoiding the success that The Courteeners have enjoyed since forming in 2006.

Having released three top-10-charting studio albums – 2008’s ‘St. Jude’, 2010’s ‘Falcon’ and 2013’s ‘ANNA’ – and seen a number of singles crack the UK top 20, the Manchester band has carved out an admirable reputation for itself.

And the foursome’s success on the record sales front translated into a quite unforgettable live experience recently, when the band sold out a pair of hometown shows at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl, supported by a line-up featuring The Strypes and Miles Kane

Frontman Liam Fray is embarking on a solo acoustic tour this autumn, beginning on September 19th in Liverpool and ending with a homecoming set at the Manchester Ritz on the 29th. Supporting on this jaunt will be recent Clash Ones To Watch star Bipolar Sunshine.

Before hitting the road, Clash pinned Fray down long enough to deliver some opinions on today’s new-release singles. We’ll unpin him in time for the tour.

Promise.

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The Courteeners, ‘Van Der Graaff’, from ‘ANNA’

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Moderat – ‘Bad Kingdom’

This sounds like Hurts’ Theo Hutchcraft singing a Massive Attack tune. A marriage surely made in Heaven. Loving the Walt Whitman book in the video – a nod to Breaking Bad, perhaps.

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Laura Welsh – ‘Cold Front’

I’ve not come across Laura before, but this is a very welcome introduction – it’s got great production, and she’s got a beautiful voice. This song reminds me of 808 State, and I can imagine it being played in The Haçienda in ‘88… or in Ibiza, in 2013.

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The Electric Soft Parade – ‘Summertime In My Heart’

It’s good to see these guys back. This track is a Belle And Sebastian-type folly for the summertime, complete with cherry blossom. All it needs is a Frisbee and a group of good-looking friends drinking Magners. Sunny. Smashing.

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Deaf Havana – ‘Boston Square’

The intro to this video suggested Mumford & Sons getting to grips with ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’. Unfortunately, what followed was even worse. The song drowns in its quest for epic glory. Sorry, but not my cup of tea.

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T.W.i.N.S – ‘Found A Flat’

A good band name, and a very funny duo. These two would've been great on The Fast Show. If The Streets made records on a bouncy castle, those records would sound like this. The song desperately wants a change two-thirds through to keep you interested, but the comedy walk was enough to entertain me. I want to see them in their own sketch show.

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Find The Courteeners online here.

Next week: more singles, reviewed by that there Fuck Buttons.

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