The Courteeners: 'What Took You So Long?'

The Courteeners have certainly got plenty to live up to. Not shy of gobbing off about everything and everyone, they've also won the backing of Simon Gavin (the bloke with the goatee beard off Mobile Act Unsigned), who lists their track 'You're Not 19 Forever' as one of his favourites of all time. Their image fits nicely enough in the lineage of strutting, cocksure Mancunian rockers, but do their tunes live up to their predecessors? Can they really become 'The Next Big Thing'?

'What Took You So Long?' leaves us dangling on that question because it's neither a tub-thumping Oasis-esque anthem or a jovial Happy Mondays-style style jig. In fact, Liam Fray's vocals and lyrics have more in common with tender, fragile Manchester acts such as The Smiths and Joy Division. With its military-style drums and Marr-esque guitar flicks, it's certainly enchanting, but whether its morose content can capture a slot on the Radio 1 playlist is another matter. Maybe not 'The Next Big Thing', then, but certainly ones to watch out for in '08.

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