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| Liam Fray of Courteeners, Cardiff Utilita Arena 2026 |
Few bands have soundtracked as much of my life over the last 20 years as
Courteeners. Through breakups, turbulent moments and the many highs and lows that come with growing up, they’ve remained a constant. Celebrating their 20th year as a band therefore felt like a fitting full circle moment as they returned to Cardiff’s Utilita Arena, in support of their recently released career spanning best of compilation.
With the capital already bustling following an earlier Wales rugby match, the usual sea of supporters flocked into the city, any many in to the show too as the atmosphere continued to scintillate. Inside, and anticipation quickly turned into something altogether louder as the opening notes of
Are You in Love with a Notion? and
Cavorting sent fans straight down memory lane. Two tracks that have defined the band’s early years, and now served as an immediate reminder of just how enduring those first records remain.
The momentum continued with
No You Didn’t, No You Don’t and
You Overdid It Doll, before
Plus One Forever and
Solitude of the Night Bus offered a welcome reminder of the band’s knack for balancing huge indie singalongs with more understated moments. There was plenty of material to draw from across their back catalogue, with
Bide Your Time,
Acrylic and
Take Over the World keeping the nostalgia firmly in motion. The latter proved another highlight, taking on a life of its own in a room full of people who roared back each and every word.
Elsewhere in the set, it was great to hear
Sycophant make its way back into the fold, a welcome addition for those who followed the band beyond the more obvious fan favourites.
Please Don’t and
Lose Control also provided plenty of opportunity for the crowd to get involved, as pints continued to soar above a sea of excited, flailing hands. "
Cardiff, I wish you could see what we can see up here" Liam echoed as he showed deep appreciation to the adorning crowd.
As The 17th brought the main set to a close with the sort of energy that's kept Courteeners such a reliable live proposition over the years, Liam Fray returned for an acoustic section, opening with International. A track that felt particularly suited to the stripped back setting, allowing its melody and lyrics to take centre stage. Hanging Off Your Cloud followed before a brilliant cover of James’ Sit Down provided one of the evening’s standout moments as it quickly became another communal singalong.
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| Courteeners, Cardiff Utilita Arena 2026 |
With the crowd chanting Liam’s name, it wasn’t long before the full band returned for a second encore, wasting little time in launching into Fallowfield Hillbilly and Beautiful Head. From there, they moved into the two song finale that has long been a staple of their live shows. As the opening chords of Not Nineteen Forever rang out, flares lit up the room as thousands of voices joined together for one of British indie’s biggest anthems. With barely a moment to catch your breath, What Took You So Long followed, bringing proceedings to a close with a snippet of James’ Tomorrow thrown in for good measure. Another gentle nod to the fellow Mancunians.
Twenty years on, there's something rather brilliant about a band whose songs have managed to grow alongside you without losing any of their appeal. Cardiff was a reminder that, while plenty had changed in the intervening years, the connection remained firmly intact. Having been fortunate enough to clock up more than 50 shows over the years, from a sweaty Sin City in Swansea to Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl and Heaton Park, there was little doubt about why I keep coming back.
Nights like this only reinforce that feeling, and if this anniversary proved anything, it's that Courteeners still have plenty left to give.
Courteeners played:
Are You in Love with a Notion?
Cavorting
No You Didn’t, No You Don’t
You Overdid It Doll
Plus One Forever
Solitude of the Night Bus
Bide Your Time
Acrylic
Take Over the World
Winter Wonderland
Please Don’t
Sycophant
Lose Control
The 17th Liam Fray Acoustic Set
International
Hanging Off Your Cloud
Sit Down (James cover) Encore
Fallowfield Hillbilly
Beautiful Head
Not Nineteen Forever
What Took You So Long?
