He launched a guitar band just as the world was moving on. But they still went stratospheric. Fray talks about uniting Manchester after the attacks \u2013 and writing his first single on a Fred Perry comp slip<\/p>\n
Manchester has yet to erect a structure that hometown boys Courteeners cannot sell out. But tonight, a stadium band is squeezed into the narrowest of venues. At a heaving Night & Day cafe, disbelieving fans snap photos of their entry wristbands to a rare intimate show in honour of a new greatest hits collection. \u201cTwenty years,\u201d marvels frontman Liam Fray, contemplating his band\u2019s lifespan. \u201cYou don\u2019t get rid of us that easily.\u201d For most of the audience there has barely been a Manchester without them.<\/p>\n
Charlotte, 18, has seen Courteeners at their enormous Heaton Park shows. \u201cAll my friends like them,\u201d she says. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham tells me he became a fan through his son. Paul, 56, has seen them more than 100 times. \u201cThere\u2019s not many actual bands any more,\u201d he says, which seems key to their appeal.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0f23b394f2921c2ad80d5fff7596264162dce5bc\/308_225_1385_1108\/master\/1385.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c7f0d0b98f5c7a4914029cdf4849ff58\" "\\"\u2018I\u2019m")
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"