Courteeners have just made history by hitting the top of the charts with an album that was released 15 years ago.
The wildly popular local band’s debut album has just hit the top of the UK Albums Chart, despite being released way back in 2008.
St Jude reached number one over the weekend thanks to the band re-releasing a 15th anniversary edition, featuring remastered tracks, rarities and previously-unreleased material.
It’s a record-breaking achievement, becoming the album with the longest time between release and charting at number one in history – hitting the top spot a staggering 14 years, 9 months and 14 days later.
And Courteeners celebrated their in perfect fashion, with a trip to one of Manchester’s best pubs.
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Liam Fray, Michael Campbell and Daniel ‘Conan’ Moores all headed out for celebratory pints, in Liam’s own bar Smithfield Social, and in one of the city’s most historic boozers.
The frontman shared a photo of them clutching pints of Guinness in Mr Thomas’s Chop House, with their gold Number One trophy perched on the bar.
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He captioned the photo: “Good things come to thems that wait.”
Liam also shared a selfie with the prize, writing: “Wow. Love to everyone involved. This record changed our lives. You guys changed my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. NUMBER F***ING 1.”
Courteeners are also only the third band in Official Chart history to reach number one with a re-released album, joining The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Casual.
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St. Jude includes three Official Top 40 singles (Not Nineteen Forever, No You Didn’t, No You Don’t and What Took You So Long?), and previously peaked at number four.
Speaking exclusively to OfficialCharts.com, Courteeners’ Liam Fray says: “Good Things come to thems that wait. God bless the fans.”
Robyn: The Sexistential Tour – Co-op Live, Manchester | Review
Lonnie Bowes
There are pop stars, and then there is Robyn.
There’s something about the Co-op Live that still feels new, but last night it felt like it had been waiting for a show like this. The Swedish icon brought her long-awaited Sexistential Tour to Manchester, and from the first beat drop, the arena was hers.
Opening with a wall of robes, strobes and a euphoric rush of synths. Robyn didn’t so much arrive as materialise – already dancing, already fully committed. The production was immense; towering LED rigs, carefully crafted lighting, and a stage that somehow managed to feel intimate despite the sheer scale of the room. It was a proper spectacle.
Images: The Manc Group
The setlist drew from across her catalogue, weaving newer material around the bangers with real care. Honey felt celestial. With Every Heartbeat did what it always does. And when the opening bars of Dancing On My Own finally landed, the roar that met them was something else entirely – the kind that gives you goosebumps on the back of your neck. Even if you’ve heard the song a thousand times it still landed it like it was the first time.
What strikes you most about Robyn, though, isn’t the production or even the songs. It’s how real she seems up there. She throws herself into every lyric, dances like nobody’s watching, and radiates a kind of joy that feels hard-won rather than performed. In an era of very calculated pop, that matters.
The Sexistential Tour is exactly what it promises – big questions about love, loneliness, and what it means to just exist, set to some of the best pop music ever written.
Manchester, she owned us and I think we are all okay with that.
Manchester institution ‘a little emotional’ after receiving a visit from rock icon Hayley Williams
Daisy Jackson
Rock icon Hayley Williams has been spotted shopping at Manchester institution Afflecks.
The legendary independent retail emporium said it was ‘feeling a little emotional’ after its halls were graced with rock royalty.
And not only did the Paramore frontwoman and acclaimed solo singer-songwriter come for a browse, she even gave Afflecks a shout-out on stage later that night.
Hayley Williams headlined two solo shows at Manchester Academy on Monday and Tuesday this week.
The shows are in support of her third studio album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.
And despite being known globally as one of music’s best lead vocalists, this is actually Hayley Williams’ first solo tour (her previous dates were cancelled because of Covid).
While on stage in front of fans last night, she said: “I’ve learnt some Mancunian, and I’ve been to Afflecks!”
It sounds like she’s as lovely as she is legendary, with Afflecks saying that the star hung around to chat and take photos.
Sharing photos of the star inside the building, Afflecks wrote: “So a very special visitor stopped by Afflecks yesterday…
“A huge thank you to Hayley Williams for taking the time to visit us, say hello, and pose for a photo. She was so super lovely, kind, and welcoming, and to top it all off she even gave Afflecks a shout-out during last night’s show.
“Safe to say we’re feeling a little emotional about it. Thank you again Hayley for supporting Manchester’s small businesses.”
Daisy Jackson -
23rd January 2023 
