I watched the Courteeners perform in front of Lytham Festival's biggest crowd - it was an epic night
The Courteeners headlined Lytham Festival’s biggest ever night - and I was there to witness it.
The 25,000-strong crowd pulses with excitement as Liam Fray, Michael Campbell and Daniel Moores step onto the stage and the first notes of ‘The Opener’ begin to play.
Coloured smoke quickly fills the air as ecstatic fans chant along to the infectious guitar riffs and thunderous drums. The atmosphere is electric.
Up next is ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’ - another perfect chant-friendly singalong that captures everyone’s attention.
From there, it’s a non-stop voyage through the band’s album’s, each song greeted with people losing their collective minds (and voices).
The Courteeners are no strangers to the very biggest of stages, and this year they headlined Lytham Festival's biggest ever night.
It’s a band Peter Taylor - one of the festival’s co-founders - has attempted to book for years, and it’s fair to see why.
The band created extraordinary levels of crowd euphoria with their hit-packed set which included ‘Cavorting’, ‘Notion’, ‘Take Over The Word’ and ‘Pink Cactus Café’.
If you’re not into big crowds like me, it was easy to find a spot that had plenty of room to dance while still providing a good view of the stage.
But if you love being in the middle of the action, the atmosphere was friendly, with people full of smiles and laughter.
One fan who has attended the festival for five years in a row said: “I like the way they cater for loads of different people.
“You had Shania Twain the other night, and then you’ve got tonight with a couple of indie bands and tomorrow with Rick Astley and Madness.
“It’s great. I love it.”
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An acoustic section provided some brief respite for the enthralled audience as Fray’s vocal talents took the spotlight.
A heartfelt version of ‘Please Don’t’ was followed by ‘The Rest of the World Has Gone Home’ and fan-favourite ‘Smiths Disco’.
Cheers erupted again as the band’s final songs played, with the iconic anthem ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and ‘What Took You So Long?’ wrapping up the night.
Opening the show was rising indie star Nieve Ella as well as The Kooks, both of whom delivered incredible sets that fully warmed up the crowd.
It was an amazing night that will go down as the festival’s biggest and best, and I had an awesome time.