The Courteeners single and dates

The Courteeners return to action early in 2008 with the release of a new single. 'What Took You So Long?' is the first opportunity for fans to hear the results of their recording with Stephen Street and is a taster for the band's debut album, due in Spring 2008.

The Courteeners finish what has been a superb year with a sold out UK tour through December, including their biggest ever home town show at Manchester's Ritz which, like all their home town gigs sold out on the day the tickets were released. They also play their biggest ever London show on the tour at Kings College. It follows what was probably the busiest show at Kings Cross Water Rats since another Manchester band played there at the start of their careers when the venue was known as the Splash Club.

Appropriately enough for a band whose local and increasingly national prominence has been based on their live shows, 'What Took You So Long?' is a sideswipe at the virtual music fan, sat in their bedrooms collecting bands like stamps without really properly engaging with the music. Liam Fray once again demonstrates a lyrical dexterity for both self aggrandisement and self deprecation within once sentence. Witness his characterisation of self in the beautiful couplet 'Don't you know who I am, I'm like a Morrissey with some strings' which adds to what is becoming a canon fit to stand beside that man himself, one of the band's key influences. Little wonder that the likes of NME are talking of Fray and his band as 'blazing a brave new trail into Manchester's musical future' whilst The Sun are predicting 'The Courteeners will be upgrading to a Porsche in the near future'.

With huge demand to see the band live, new dates are now on sale to coincide with the single release. Tickets go on sale Thursday 22nd November at 9am through www.gigsandtours.com and usual agents, dates are as follows:

UK JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008:

JANUARY 2008
Wed 16th Preston, 53 Degrees
Thurs 17 Hull, Welly Club
Fri 18th Warrington, Parr Hall
Sat 19th Wolverhampton, Civic Bar
Mon 21st Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Tue 22nd Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
Sat 26th Tunbridge Wells, Forum
Sun 27th Reading, Fuzz Club
Mon 28th Leicester, Charlotte
Tue 29th Cambridge, Barfly
Thurs 31st Peterborough, Met Lounge

FEBRUARY
Fri 1st Oxford, Academy
Sat 2nd Swansea, Sin City
Mon 4th Bristol, Thekla
Tue 5th Truro, L2 Nightclub
Wed 6th Plymouth, University
Thur 7th Stoke, Sugarmill
Sat 9th Middlesbrough, Arena
Thur 14th Inverness, Raigmore
Fri 15th Aberdeen, Kef
Sat 16th Dundee, Fat Sams