Not Nineteen Forever // The Courteeners
For anyone who knows me personally, this won’t come as a surprise. Courteeners are my favourite band and always will be. I first heard ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ just before the release of Falcon, I remember totally falling in love with the song. The regional strong vocals and The Strokes influenced melody dictated I was a partisan straight away. The track was on repeat until I knew every single word. I was a generation too late to be directly influenced by Oasis and I was a couple of years too young to fully understand Alex Turners lyrics of night out observations. I was a 15 year old in search of an identity and the Courteeners became the band for me. With lyrics like “I’m only a paper boy from the North West / But I can scrub up well in a Sunday best” it was clear to me they weren’t another gigantic indie hyperbole like many aforementioned bands. Liam Fray and the band has captured the heart of the North, myself included. I’ve been to many live performances but the Courteeners always stands above the rest. Apart from the band being irrepressible on stage, it’s the only gig where complete strangers will collectively hug and kiss each other on the cheek alongside belting out the words to ‘Take over the World’.
I could have selected a number of songs, but this particular one seems relevant at this moment in time. Things have been changing. It’s my 20th birthday this month. I’ve realised marching to the cash point and drawing out money to hear the insufficient funds beep has never been cool or fashionable. Drinking 2 for £12 purple rain pitchers in Wetherspoons makes me look like a grade ‘A’ prick. And some weekends are far better spent studying/writing than drinking Lucozade to battle a hangover on a Sunday. But most importantly, waking up face down on a kitchen floor – “It’s not big / definitely not clever”.
Words by Aaron Spencer
Twitter: @aaronlspencer