After months of warm, muggy weather, the rain returned to in a way that Manchester knew all too well, in a downpour of course!
I didn’t stop the masses making their way to Wythenshawe Park for a homecoming outdoor gig for Manchester’s own, Courteeners, and you know what, it wasn’t as boggy as we anticipated, so if you sold your tickets, spoiler alert, you missed out, BIG time.
A surprisingly dry (ish) Wythenshawe Park ahead of a Courteeners headliner – Summer 2026
Supporting them were Girl in the Year Above, Getdown Services, The Coral and The Vaccines.
Unfortunately, we missed Girl in the Year Above, Getdown Services and a portion of The Coral, purely down to the traffic on the M60 (despite setting off early! why is it that many forget how to drive as soon as it rains?) but, we had the windows open and the closer we got, the more excited we were, they all sounded pretty solid from what we heard.
So we started our evening after navigating the entrance into Wythenshawe Park, which was seamless and quick once we eventually got parked, with The Vaccines.
The Vaccines supporting The Courteeners over August Bank Holiday Weekend 2026 at Wythenshawe Park
The Vaccines have been on a 15 year anniversary tour for “What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?” – their debut album this year, as well as popping up across the UK Festival scene, after finally seeing them for the first time at Tramlines Festival a few weeks previously, I knew we’d be in for a good show, despite a bit of drizzle, it didn’t put the band off, with a really healthy mix of their newest/latest album “Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations” (released in 2024) to some bangers that we all know and love.
Huge sing-alongs ensued for “Norgaard”, “If You Wanna” and of course the encore of “All My Friends”, but other parts of the setlist went off too, it was a really solid set and we completely forgot about the drizzle and the fact we were sheltering under a tree.
FIND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE VACCINES HERE
Next it was time for the main event and honestly I was ridiculously excited.
Manchester’s own The Courteeners, performing to a mass crowd at Wythenshawe Park in Summer 2026
It was almost poetry that my vinyl copy of the Courteeners “God Bless the Band: Compliation album arrived as I was literally packing up the car to head to Wythenshawe, if that isn’t poetry, I don’t know what is!
They’d released the album just a day before and I was fully expecting for this to be the basis of the bands set.
Kicking the set off with “Sweet Surrender” from the bands previous album “Pink Cactus Cafe” – it was a good start for me, just had a really different feel to it, before going into live fan favourites “Are You In Love With A Notion?” and “Cavorting”, which went absolutely off, the party truly started and well, we weren’t done there, as there were a few surprises in the mix.
The first being, “No You Didn’t, No You Don’t”, a track I love but maybe only heard once or twice live before, and I was a big, big fan of that.
I did love the appearance of “Summer” but it was ironic given the weather, but that made it all the more memorable.
I was absolutely elated to hear “Bide Your Time” included, it was a real sing-along in the crowd and I loved it, the band really seemed to settle in and looked like they were having the time of their lives, I’ve never seen a bad performance from them personally, but this felt like a whole new level.
Frontman Liam Fray was talking to the crowd inbetween tracks, giving little nuggets of wisdom and little stories of the tracks, he seemed more at ease and chatty on this night, it was really lovely to see.
More surprises came, with “Acrylic” being included (GET IN) and also “Please Don’t” and “The Rest of the World Has Gone Home” making an appearance in Liam’s acoustic part of the set, that was a real treat.
But, the big highlight for me? “Beautiful Head” – now I know the folks at Leicester o2 Academy had also been treated to it a few days previously (and if I’m correct, for the first time live since 2019?!) but regardless, I was elated, a very brilliant track that hasn’t had the live love it deserves over the last few years, that was followed by “Here Come The Young Men” – which I was absolutely elated to hear live, having only heard that live once before.
The only things missing from the setlist, for me at least, was “Sunflower” and “Fallowfield Hillbilly”, maybe also “Smiths Disco”, but Liam Fray, should you be reading this, please include “Sunflower” on the autumn tour, specifically Liverpool, thank you xo.
Of course, it absolutely went off for the encore with “Not Nineteen Forever”, the rain had started again, people were jumping, flags were flying, flares were going off and the chanting of “DER DER DER DER” ensed, but it was a community of thousands just all enjoying the music together and you could feel how much it meant to us all and the band, which Liam himself addressed at the end, saying: “Never, ever, ever in our wildrest dreams did we think we’d ever be playing a crowd this big!” – believe it Liam, you did and you bloody smashed it.
Wythenshawe Park was probably my 14th time seeing the band (I think) and I can honestly say that was the best I’ve ever seen them, what a bloody show.
CHECK OUT ALL THINGS COURTEENERS HERE
It rained, we sang, we danced, we jumped, and to top it off, Liam Fray went down to the front barrier after the gig had finished, shaking hands with fans and taking photos, it was a real class act and just put the cherry on the top, even more so for those lucky fans at the front.
That my friends, is how you do a live outdoor homecoming gig, even more so, when it’s pissing it down.
God Bless The Band.
FIND MORE LIVE REVIEWS FROM TEAM RGM HERE
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LIVE AT WYTHENSHAWE PARK HERE