The Courteeners - Forum, Tunbridge Wells - Saturday 26th January 2008

Having seen The Courteeners a number of times recently, on their way up, their January and February tour was really the first opportunity for them to take those excellent songs out to the whole country. Their previous gigs have been concentrated around the North West, or in London and other big cities. This time, they are visiting all kinds of places, like Portsmouth, Reading, and Tunbridge Wells. So, a rare sellout at the Tunbridge Wells Forum, to see a truly exciting band on the rise.

The support act for the evening was Kid Harpoon, a scruffy looking southerner with a guitar, backed up by a drummer. Having heard a few of his songs before the gig, (and seen part of a previous set) I knew what to expect, and I really enjoyed his set. The songs are not entirely unlike somebody like Jack Penate or Pete Doherty, but there are some good lyrics, and the songs sounded very good indeed. He talked about having lost a Battle Of The Bands at the Forum before – I don’t think that would happen any more, and I’m definitely keen to see him again asap.

The Courteeners came on stage just before 10pm, and played a substantially longer set than I have ever seen them play before. Kicking off with the usual Aftershow, they played most of their usual setlist, to which they added a couple of new(ish) songs – a b-side from the latest single, called Slow Down (although this song has been around in a number of guises for a while), and another new song called Yesterday, Today, and Probably Tomorrow. An absolutely mental version of Acrylic came about halfway through the set, and my set highlight, Cavorting, was saved until near the end.

The band seemed on very good form throughout the gig, singer Liam having some good banter with the crowd, and playing a couple of songs wearing a Stetson that had been thrown up from the crowd. The audience, for their part, were enthusiastic, especially towards the front of the venue, and Liam ended the gig by saying “Thanks, you've made it really easy for us”. The band sounded great, and absolutely rattled through the set – they sound increasingly accomplished every time I go to watch them, and looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I suspect that The Courteeners are getting a similarly good reaction wherever they go on this tour, with What Took You So Long in the charts and on MTV. It is always interesting to see how bands go down in places like Tunbridge Wells, away from the music scene of a big city – and they seemed to pass the test with flying colours. Their current tour has no London date – hopefully, there will be a fairly big one coming up before too long – I’m looking forward to seeing them play the Astoria.

Setlist: Aftershow / Kimberley / Kings Of The New Road / Please Don't / Slow Down / Bide Your Time / Acrylic / No You Didn't, No You Don't / Not Nineteen Forever / An Ex Is An Ex For A Reason / Yesterday, Today, And Probably Tomorrow / Cavorting / Fallowfield Hilbilly / If It Wasn't For Me / What Took You So Long.