Courteeners Announce 20th Anniversary 'Best Of' Album and UK Arena Tour
The Courteeners are celebrating two decades of indie anthems with a new 'best of' compilation, 'God Bless The Band,' a new single, and a 2026 UK arena tour.
The Courteeners are commemorating their 20th anniversary with the release of their first 'best of' compilation, ‘God Bless The Band’. This milestone is marked by the reflective new single ‘The Luckiest Man Alive’ and the announcement of a 2026 UK arena tour.
'God Bless The Band,' arriving via Ignition Music, is set to drop on Friday, August 28th, ahead of their massive sold-out homecoming show at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park. The album's title, taken from a lyric in ‘Not Nineteen Forever,’ encapsulates a curated selection of the indie band’s most iconic tracks. These range from their seminal 2008 debut ‘St Jude’ to their more recent 2024 album ‘Pink Cactus Café’. The collection also features two brand-new songs: ‘Plus One Forever’ and the euphoric guitar-pop single ‘The Luckiest Man Alive,’ both produced by frontman Liam Fray and The Coral legend James Skelly.
Courteeners announce their new ‘best of’ album, ‘God Bless The Band’
"In October it’s 20 years since our first gig, so with a couple of new songs fresh from the studio, the timing just seemed right for a best of,” Fray stated. “If we mean half as much to people as they have done to us over the years, then we’ve not done too bad. We look forward to seeing you down the front God Bless The Fans x”
In addition to an intimate launch gig at Manchester’s Night & Day on Saturday, the band has announced a UK arena tour for November. Notably, £1 + VAT from each ticket sold will be donated to the newly launched LIVE Trust, supporting grassroots venues and artists through their levy programme.
Jon Collins, CEO of the LIVE Trust, commented: “It’s fantastic to see Courteeners supporting the LIVE Trust with a £1 per ticket contribution on their upcoming tour, building on their commitment for the Wythenshawe Park show in August. This donation will directly benefit the full grassroots ecosystem – from venues and artists to promoters and festivals – helping to protect, expand and support grassroots music across the UK.”
The arena shows will feature support from The Lathums.
Beyond the enduring popularity of ‘Not Nineteen Forever,’ which has become a 21st-century guitar anthem, the Courteeners have sold over 1 million albums in the UK. Their last four albums have consistently charted in the top five, with ‘St. Jude’ even reaching Number One 15 years after its initial release.
Reflecting on the band’s journey and addressing past misconceptions, Fray told NME in 2020: “I felt like they came for us with pitchforks on the first record because they built us up so much. It was always going to be difficult to live up to the hype... I’d much rather appeal to these thousand fans than these six critics.”
He added, “We still get treated as if it is still 2007. Musically we’ve changed, I’m a 34-year-old man now, I’m not a 21-year-old kid getting off his head six days out of seven.”
‘God Bless The Band’ will be available on heavyweight black double LP, retail-exclusive clear double LP, and CD. Deluxe formats, featuring an additional 11 tracks, will be available exclusively on the Courteeners’ official store.
The ‘God Bless The Band’ track list is:
‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’
‘Cavorting’
‘Acrylic’
‘You Overdid It Doll’
‘Pink Cactus Café’
‘Summer’
‘Take Over The World’
‘Bide Your Time’
‘Small Bones’
‘The 17th’
‘Fallowfield Hillbilly’
‘That Kiss’
‘Lose Control’
‘Modern Love’
‘Sycophant’
‘Hanging Off Your Cloud’
‘The Luckiest Man Alive’
‘What Took You So Long?’
‘Not Nineteen Forever’
‘Plus One Forever’
Deluxe album formats include:
‘Sweet Surrender’
‘Chipping Away’
‘Smiths Disco’
‘Sunflower’
‘Winter Wonderland’
‘The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home’
‘International’ (Acoustic)
‘Beautiful Head’
‘More. Again. Forever.’
’20th Century Boy / Cigarettes & Alcohol’ (BBC Radio 2 Session – Live at Glastonbury)
‘Here Come The Young Men’
Courteeners’ 2026 UK arena tour dates are:
NOVEMBER
Friday 6 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
Saturday 7 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Friday 13 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Saturday 14 – London, Alexandra Palace
Friday 20 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Saturday 21 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
As part of Record Store Day 2026 on Saturday (April 11), Courteeners will be releasing ‘Live In Manchester’ album recorded at their 2024 Co-Op Live show on vinyl.
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