Liam Fray wants to change things up on Courteeners' next album: "The next move has to be really different"

15 April 2026, 17:37 | Updated: 15 April 2026, 17:50

The Courteeners frontman has talked about the follow-up to 2024's Pink Cactus Café and said it has to be a "bit of a left turn".

Liam Fray believes Courteeners' next studio album has to be "really different".

The Middleton-formed rockers recently announced their 'Best Of' album God Bless The Band, which features two new tracks, but the frontman admitted he didn't have enough new material for a new record.

"I had these two new songs, but the truth is there wasn’t an album there," admitted the Not Nineteen Forever singer. "Sometimes you have these outliers that don’t fit your record. They felt really fresh to me. [Sometimes] you hold on to a song, it’s lost its spark and you’ve lost your respect for it. You know what? No, let’s put these out. I’ll be honest with you, the ‘best of’ is not that much work from our point of view. I say that – I spent about six weeks doing f***ing artwork!"

Quizzed about the band's next studio effort, which will follows 2024's Pink Cactus Cafe, Fray confirmed there "will be a next album" but it will have to take a "left turn".

He reflected: “The next move has to be really different. I don’t know what that means, but I felt like Pink Cactus was 10 pretty direct pop songs, and I don’t think that’ll be the next move. These singles are pretty poppy as well. I have a real fondness for that, but maybe the next record will be a big shift away from that… that’s why there’s a ‘best of’, because I don’t want to rush an album."

Read more:

• Courteeners announce God Bless The Band "Best Of" album & arena dates

Speaking of what would be their eighth studio effort, the 40-year-old musician confirmed: “There will be a next album, but there might be a break after this [year]. We’ve never had a summer off in 20 years, but then I say it out loud, and I don’t want one either. I’m not tired, I just want to be a bit more considered – without sounding wanky – rather than me going in and saying what’s on my mind."

"It has to be a bit of a left turn," he added. "That last Elbow record [2024’s Audio Vertigo], I don’t know they do it. I’ve been trying to work it out for fucking seven albums! Maybe I’ll have to give Guy [Garvey, frontman] and Craig [Potter, guitarist] a ring, get them at the helm. That might be an idea.”

Courteeners - The Luckiest Man Alive (Official Visualiser)

God Bless The Band celebrates an incredible two-decades of Courteeners, featuring tracks from their seven studio albums - St. Jude (2008), Falcon (2010), Anna(2013), Concrete Love (2014), Mapping the Rendezvous (2016), More. Again. Forever. (2020) and Pink Cactus Cafe (2024) - along with two brand new tracks The Luckiest Man Alive and Plus One Forever— produced by Liam Fray and James Skelly.

The album will be available on heavyweight black 2LP, retail-exclusive clear 2LP and CD. Deluxe formats, with an additional 11 tracks will be available exclusively on Courteeners’ official store including limited-edition super deluxe box set, 3LP vinyl and 2CD. All orders from the official store include a print of the album artwork, signed by the band.

The deluxe boxset, limited to 1000 copies - which includes a gold 3LP, 2CD, exclusive cassette, and 7” of the iconic single ‘Not Nineteen Forever’, plus art print and replica concert ticket and AAA pass- is available to pre-order here.

Speaking about the release, Liam Fray says “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. 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”

See the artwork of God Bless The Band and its tracklist below:

God Bless The Band tracklist:

1. Are You In Love With A Notion?

2. Cavorting

3. Acrylic

4. You Overdid It Doll

5. Pink Cactus Café

6. Summer

7. Take Over The World

8. Bide Your Time

9. Small Bones

10. The 17th

11. Fallowfield Hillbilly

12. That Kiss

13. Lose Control

14. Modern Love

15. Sycophant

16. Hanging Off Your Cloud

17. The Luckiest Man Alive

18. What Took You So Long?

19. Not Nineteen Forever

20. Plus One Forever

Deluxe Album Formats:

21. Sweet Surrender

22. Chipping Away

23. Smiths Disco

24. Sunflower

25. Winter Wonderland

26. The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home

27. International (Acoustic)

28. Beautiful Head

29. More. Again. Forever.

30. 20th Century Boy/Cigarettes & Alcohol (BBC Radio 2 Session - Live At Glastonbury)

31. Here Come The Young Men

The band will also embark on 2026 tour dates of the same name this November with Wigan outfit The Lathums joining them as special guests.

The dates will include stops at London's Alexandra Palace and will go on general sale from Friday 17th April at 10am here.

£1 + VAT from every ticket sold will be donated to the newly launched LIVE Trust, a new funding initiative from LIVE that will offer much needed financial support to those working across live music. The LIVE Trust will initially support the grassroots music sector that is such a vital part of the music ecosystem - from venues and artists to festivals and promoters.

Courteeners' God Bless The Band 2026 arena tour dates:

• Fri 6th November: Leeds First Direct Arena
• Sat 7th November: Cardiff Utilita Arena
• Fri 13th November: Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
• Sat 14th November: London Alexandra Palace
• Fri 20th November: Glasgow OVO Hydro
• Sat 21st November: Birmingham Utilita Arena

Read more:

• Why Courteeners' Not Nineteen Forever is more than just an indie banger
• Why Liam Fray thinks Courteeners' St. Jude still connects with their fans