Courting deliver memorable set at The Fulford Arms

I stumbled across Courting in the Festival Republic tent at Leeds Festival, while considerably inebriated; in spite of this, I was quickly won over by their boundless energy and dynamic stage presence. I knew straight away that this was a band I had to see again, hopefully having learnt a few words so I could sing my heart out with the rest of the crowd.

After missing their show at The Key Club in Leeds, I found myself on the train to York on a cold Tuesday night on my own, having failed to convince any of my mates that Courting were worth seeing. Riding solo seemed a little daunting at first, but after arriving at The Fulford Arms I needn’t have worried. A very intimate 150-capacity venue, it provided the perfect setting for Courting’s spirited performance.

Led by frontman Sean Murphy-O’Neil, the Liverpool-based quartet released their much-anticipated debut album Guitar Music on the 23^rd of September. The opening song of their set, ‘Tennis’, is definitive of the distorted post-punk vibes of the album, and perfectly set the tone for a fun-filled night of non-stop bangers.

Courting quickly revealed their range and versatility – the band’s appreciation for hyperpop was made apparent by their cover of Charli XCX’s ‘I Love It’. Interspersed with their track ‘Crass’, this has become a regular feature of their gigs. While on paper their mix of genres and sounds could appear jarring, the crowd enjoyed the erratic swinging between the heavy guitar riffs of ‘David Byrne’s Badside’ and their auto-tuned pop-esque anthem ‘Jumper’.

One constant throughout the set was their humorous and at times sardonic lyricism. In no song is this more evident than the Britpop-inspired ‘Popshop!’, where the band voice their concerns over the commodification of the music industry, highlighting its heavily consumerist nature – references to selling their bath water and going to hell for listening to Ed Sheeran summed up their feelings.

The set continued with ‘Flex’ and the slower ‘America’, which were well-received by the crowd despite being currently unreleased. Continuing with the chaotic theme, the energy was immediately ramped back up with a somewhat unexpected fast-paced cover of Abba’s ‘Mamma Mia’. Although I’m a big fan of the Swedish Europop supergroup, the highlight of the night was undoubtedly the band’s extended performance of ‘Slow Burner’. Not only is it a proper banger, but Sean’s cowbell solo and subsequent venture into the crowd were also particularly memorable.

Courting began to round off the gig with the self-described cathartic ‘Famous’, perhaps the finest track off of their new album. The high intensity was maintained all the way through to their final song, ‘Loaded’. Another standout track, the jagged guitar work makes for a fantastically vigorous listening experience when paired with their frenzied yet deliberate lyrics – the perfect closing song for such an exciting show. Upon leaving the venue, it was hard not to feel satisfied after such a high-octane performance. Who knows what the future holds for the young band?

You can see the remainder of the band’s UK tour dates here:

Image Credits: @courtingband on Twitter