In uncertain times for the arts industry, artists are looking for alternative ways to connect with their fans as they self-isolate amid the continuing coronavirus outbreak, Fray has decided to host a live playback and a Q&A for the band’s 2008 debut album, ‘St Jude’.

Right. Spoke to @BoneheadsPage

He’s on 10pm doing Defintley Maybe with the legend that is @Tim_Burgess – think LG is too?

So…let’s do St. Jude at 9pm over on INSTA LIVE and get you in the mood.

Friday Night. St Jude Playback and Q&A live with yours truly. Insta Live. 9pm. pic.twitter.com/2PKDEe2rO6

— Liam Fray (@What_Liam_Said) March 26, 2020

Taking to Twitter to announce the news, Fray wrote: “Right. Spoke to @BoneheadsPage. He’s on 10pm doing Definitely Maybe with the legend that is @Tim_Burgess – think LG is too? So…let’s do St. Jude at 9pm over on INSTA LIVE and get you in the mood. Friday Night. St Jude Playback and Q&A live with yours truly. Insta Live. 9pm.”

Fray asked his social media followers if they would be interested in a listening party on Friday night (March 27), which was originally first suggested by a fan. The response was overwhelmingly in favour of the playback one fan pointed out that it would clash with an Oasis ‘Definitely Maybe’ listening party, which will be hosted by Bonehead.

The announcement comes after The Courteeners released their sixth studio album, ‘More. Again. Forever’, earlier in the year. Speaking about the album, Fray, said: “It’s a miracle this album got made, if I’m honest. I just couldn’t get myself or my head together. My confidence completely dropped. I couldn’t write a riff. I couldn’t write a couplet. I had nothing, for the first time ever. I was like, ‘This could be it’. It was a slow fucking process.”

Describing the sound on the new album Fray said they were going a bit ‘LCD Soundsystem’ with ‘More. Again. Forever’ and you can hear this new sound most prominently on the tile track, ‘More. Again. Forever’. “”More. Again. Forever’ is probably the weirdest thing on there in terms of what ‘the fanbase’ will like.

“That’s what’s great about putting things out there on streaming websites: you can showcase what you can do to other people and turn them onto your band. It affords you to be braver, rather than putting out the song that people perceive to be ‘you’ – whatever that means,” said Fray speaking about the track.

The ‘Modern Love’ vocalist said: “We’ve been together for 13 years and I don’t want to just keep doing Courteeners albums and nothing else. People will have had enough if we do 10 albums in a row!”

He went on: “The band is brilliant, we all really get on, but we want to stretch our legs a bit by doing side-projects here and there.”

Fray has opened up on his plans to make an album with DMA’s and Bipolar Sunshine. Fray said: “I love his voice and I’d love to make a soulful record with him,”

Liam suggested that band drummer Michael Campbell may explore a vocalist role in the future, saying: “Campbell’s got a great voice – he should be the singer in Courteeners, really. Campbell loves 1950s rock & roll and doo-wop music, and we’ve talked about doing something in that style, where he sings.”

Fray added: “I’ve written one song for him – it sounds like it came off the soundtrack to Grease!”

Yesterday, Liam Fray criticized Eminem for lyrics referencing the Manchester Arena Terror Attack. The track ‘Unaccomodating’, references the suicide bombing that killed twenty-two people and wounded 139 others. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, also criticized the US rapper.

Talking to the BBC about the lyrics. Liam said he “feels sorry” that Eminem had to “shock tactics”.

Liam added: “It all just felt like an old comedian who can’t get on the telly anymore just saying something outrageous,”

‘Music To Be Murdered By’ is Eminem’s eleventh studio album. It was released on the same day, (January 17), as The Courteeners sixth musical effort, ‘More. Again. Forever’.

In a positive review from NME on ‘More. Again. Forever’, it reads:

“‘More. Again. Forever’ strikes a mature balance. It’s escapist in its sound but humane in its approach to the world. It’s experimental but familiar, and tests what the band are capable of while proving to be their more focussed work to date.”

Liam spoke to the BBC about the lyrics. He said he “feels sorry” that Eminem has effectively resorted to “shock tactics”.

Liam said: “It all just felt like an old comedian who can’t get on the telly anymore just saying something outrageous,”

He further added: “I just felt a bit sorry for him. I just felt like he’s jumping the shark a bit.”

Liam took to Twitter, posting a very short message aimed at the US rapper as seen below:

Eminem can get to fuck.

— Liam Fray (@What_Liam_Said) January 19, 2020

Eminem’s eleventh studio album, ‘Music To Be Murdered By’ was released on January 17. The Courteeners recently released the last single, ‘Hanging From Your Cloud’ from their new album, out on the same day.

They are now on course to challenge Eminem for the number one spot in the UK Album Charts this week, with ‘More. Again. Forever’.

NME responded positively to the sixth effort from the Middleton music makers.

It reads: “‘More. Again. Forever’ strikes a mature balance. It’s escapist in its sound but humane in its approach to the world. It’s experimental but familiar, and tests what the band are capable of while proving to be their more focussed work to date.”

The ten-track record from the band contains previously released singles ‘Heavy Jacket’, ‘Better Man’, as well as the titular song ‘More. Again. Forever.’

In an interview with NME, Liam opened up on the band’s sixth album, hailing it as ‘groove-based’ and ‘escapist’.

Fray added: “To us, the songs have just got to be explosive and blow you away live.”

He went on: “There are only a couple of delicate moments, which is why it’s a shame that the album’s not there yet for the tour. Maybe we’ll just have to do a few more gigs next year.”

The boys had a great year in 2015 by making it into the ‘BBC Sound Of’ shortlist, before playing huge shows, supporting The Stone Roses and topping the charts with their acclaimed self-titled debut. Their debut record spent two weeks at No. 1 when it was released back in August, the first time a debut album has spent more than one week in the top spot from its launch since 2014.

The indie five-piece will play 13 dates, supported by current buzz-conductors Cabbage and Rory Wynne. They’ll also be releasing a digital ‘extended version’ of their debut album this Friday (11 November) with 10 extra tracks.

They’re about to embark on a UK tour this month, beginning on the 30 November beginning in Leicester and ending in Bournemouth on the 14 December.

The boys will be joined by the Courteeners at their Manchester Emirates Old Trafford LCCC gig. Liam Fray from the band told NME that Blossoms are a ‘truly great band’.

“They’re a real real grassroots northern band. No fucking leg-ups from anybody really or anything like that. They’ve grafted their balls off and toured extensively.”

Fray continued: “Great pop songs, good lads. What‘s not to love about it? It’s a proper old school kind of story – four lads meet at college and start a band. That’s what we want in this country, it should be celebrated. None of their dads are loaded and gave them a million quid to set up a studio; they’re normal lads who wrote songs in their bedrooms like we did. Fucking great.

“It gives me faith a little bit as well, that it can be done still, it’s available. Songs are a big thing; you’ve got to have the songs. It starts with a jacket but you need the songs.”

Tickets are on sale from 10am on Thursday 10 November. Details of dates and venues can be found below.

16/03 – Keele, University Ballroom
17/03 – Liverpool, Olympia
18/03 – Brighton, Dome
20/03 – Lincoln, Engine Shed
21/03 – Exeter, Lemon Grove
23/03 – London, Roundhouse
24/03 – Bristol, O2 Academy
25/03 – Cardiff, Tramshed
27/03 – Norwich, The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA
29/03 -Birmingham, O2 Academy
30/03 -Leeds, O2 Academy
31/03 – Newcastle, O2 Academy
01/04 – Glasgow, O2 Academy