Tipped to be one of the hottest new acts for 2008, last month saw hundreds of people gather to see NME darlings, The Courteeners perform in front of a sell-out crowd at city club, The Met Lounge.

Although the temperature outside dipped to below freezing levels, things soon heated up when the first few acts began to emerge.

Main support came from super-slick rock and roll band, Vincent Vincent and The Villains, who’s vibrant, hip-swinging tracks ‘On my own’ and ‘Pretty Girl’ left a lasting impression on the crowd.

After short break between sets and a couple of drinks later, fans began to hoard on towards the dancefloor where indie sensations, The Courteeners took to the stage.

With a notable resemblance to fellow Manchester rock hero, Liam Gallaghar, Courteeners front-man Liam Fray quickly glugged down his Jack Daniels, grabbed his guitar and bashed out the first track of the night, Acrylic.

Polished guitar riffs and captivating lyrics, it was suprising to see fans reciting lyrics word for word, bearing in mind that their debut album is yet to be released.

There is no doubt that songs such as If It Wasn’t For Me and Kimberly will go on to become true indie anthems.

The Peterborough crowd were fuelled with passion when Liam solely went on to perform a string of acoustic tracks.

Fray, who is renowned for making controversial headlines revealed a softer side to him, commenting on Peterborough’s ‘beautiful’ landscape. He told local press that “Peterborough is the urban equivalent of heaven, it has a lovely cathedral.”

Tieing up the night with an ecstatic performance of their latest track, “What took you so long?”, fans went on to meet and chat to Liam after the show.

by Nicola Fox