It’s been a few months since Gigwise last spoke to The Courteeners’ charismatic frontman Liam Fray and the last time we grabbed 20 minutes of the man’s time he was walking to the band’s rehearsal studio after performing for the first time ever in Camden. Today he is heading back to Manchester for a well earned day off from the band’s sold out UK winter tour. Indeed, things have been taking off for the Mancunian outfit in recent months – they’ve released the critically acclaimed single ‘Acrylic’, toured with The Coral and even managed to put the finishing touches to their debut album, set for release in March next year. We thought it would be a perfect opportunity to catch up with the boys again.
“If we can get a couple hundred quid for a bit of rent and a steak on a Saturday then that’s fine,” quips Fray about the satisfaction of being able to perform music for a living. He is less then interested in the financial rewards success can bring and warns that the eagerly anticipated album from The Courteeners is set to be “exciting and honest.”
After being let down by so many bands and artists given the ‘next big thing’ tag since the explosion of the Arctic Monkeys, it’s easy to be sceptical once again and Fray is far from phased at the inevitable pressure this label brings. “If anything it’s just kind of an incentive to prove to people that we’re not a fad. The next big thing tag has come around because we do fucking good gigs and we write good songs.”
There is a confidence, and to quote Fray ‘honesty’, about his demeanour as he explains his ambitions. Of course every band dreams of being the biggest thing since <insert name of preferred successful band here> and Fray agrees you can be easily misconstrued for saying such a thing. “We want to be big for the right reasons and that’s writing the best songs in this country,” he states. Yes, it’s an easy comparison to make but we haven’t heard something of this nature since another Liam made a few comments about his band… Oasis or something.
Stephen Street has lent his wizardry to the band’s as yet untitled debut album, and working alongside someone who has produced records with fellow Manchester legends The Smiths, Britpop cockneys Blur and more recently Babyshambles on ‘Shotter’s Nation’ can make certain situations a little intimidating for a new band as Fray explains: “It’s difficult with the first one when you’re speaking with someone of such calibre, you almost feel like you’re not worthy in a weird kind of way.” Sessions managed to go comfortably until Fray injured his hand during the recording process and admitted it was a worrying time at one point as he “wondered whether we were going to get it finished or not, but in the end it all worked out, we got our heads down and grafted.”
Fray is predominantly the sole songwriter for the band and assures there is no dictatorship within The Courteeners camp and gives fellow band members Campbell, Cuppello and Conan equal chance to express their ideas. He talks passionately about the inspiration behind his writing style, in particular an early Stephen Fretwell gig. “It made me think that’s what I want to write. I was 15 at the time and thought you know what, if I start working by the time I’m 21 and got the experience of writing I’ll be fucking laughing, and here we are doing this interview!” he jokes.
The creation of material is just as rewarding as the delivering it for Fray, who explains how he likes to construct his songs: “Lyrically I always think it’s good to have a bit of humour, tongue in cheek, which unfortunately for the most part people don’t get in this day and age because they’re so fucking cynical.” Fray ponders the thought of success or falling at the wayside and openly says: “If you told me it’s the last thing we’ll ever do then fucking brilliant, once you release a record then it’s a dream come true.”
The band are set to embark upon their biggest ever tour early next year and recently managed to share the stage with The Coral, supporting them on their UK autumn tour. “They’re really nice lads and don’t compromise themselves, if they set an idea out they’re going to do it and I admire that,” praises Fray about the Wirral outfit. He picks out James Skelly in a further mark of respect: “I think he acknowledged the fact that we knew what we were doing and I don’t think he wanted to seem condescending. We love them so it was a big thing for us.”
Of course, Fray has also been known to dish out negative remarks about certain artists in the past and admits: “There’s a fine line between being honest and being silly with your words, which I may have been, but there’s too many people who bite their tongues because they’re too scared it might upset the record label or something. That’s something I find really fucking difficult to comprehend.”
After informing Fray that his gig on December 10 clashed with the Led Zeppelin reunion at the 02 Arena in London he let out his first verbal assault of the interview. “If it keeps the fucking grandparents happy then fine. It’s all this thing of downloading, ultimately it is going to be detrimental to little indie labels while at the same time people like Robert Plant can increase their bank balance by fifty million pounds as all their albums are going to now become downloadable, ‘yeh it’s brilliant because you need the extra fucking money don’t you?’.”
The Stone Roses and The Smiths are two bands who Fray disputes whether or not he would truly like to see return. “I’d like the Roses to come back because when they went away in 96, it was an appalling gig and I wish I’d have seen them. I’d like them to come back and show everyone that they weren’t what people saw at that one gig. But at the same time I don’t want to see a forty year old Andy Rourke on stage.” Fray ends his rant after quickly adding: “I also find it hard to believe Kurt Cobain would still be making good music. And Lennon. So every cloud...”
The move in technology has caused much controversy within the music industry and one band who have been the focus of many a dispute recently is Radiohead and their decision to let fans decide what to pay for their new album ‘In Rainbows’. “It’s easy for Radiohead to give away an album because they all own about six counties. Obviously giving away things for free is good, but that’s like saying let’s give cars away for free, let’s give clothes away I mean where do you stop?”
Gigwise’s time with Fray is nearly up and we have time to quickly ask where he would like to be in a years time? “Probably the top of Everest. I’m not sure really, just more of the same but on a bigger scale,” laughs Fray. With their biggest ever tour and debut album just around the corner Fray and The Courteeners may not get to the top of Everest just yet, but the top of the charts and the top of the best bands of 2008 list may have to do just nicely.
