Courting have wasted no time in getting under the skin of the UK on their first three singles. The Liverpool four-pieceās biggest anthem so far, āDavid Byrneās Badsideā, is a rowdy stab at casual pub racism (āHe spits at the people when theyāre not his own / I thought we united, he says itās his homeā), but in the same breath theyāre just as determined to cut loose and make light of the tropes of Little England.
āItās about this idea of people pretending to be poor and how racist this country really is,ā frontman Sean OāNeill explains over a socially-distanced pint in a Bold Street bar in Liverpool city centre. āItās so deeply ingrained: once you realise that it exists, you see it everywhere.ā He has a sharp vision of the type of person heās calling out with the lyrics of āDavid Byrneās Badsideā. āItās the person who says ābuy Britishā but owns a German sports car; who doesnāt understand what theyāre voting for but is inspired by hate politics.ā
Drummer Sean Thomas points out the more light-hearted elements of the song. āThereās also lines about British culture, like The Chase, in there. The idea isnāt to bombard the listener with the sad reality of our society, but to balance it out with the music and lyrics at the same time.ā It makes sense: no matter how heavy the subject matter, youāll struggle not to get caught up in how frantic and fun Courtingās sound can be ā something also born out of circumstance.
āI think we try not to make things too deep,ā OāNeill says. āThere are a lot of bands who, when you listen to them and theyāre saying something important, itās so focused and itās less of a song, and it comes off more like a blog post. I think a fundamental thing of what makes our band go is that no matter what we talk about, we try to make the music enjoyable. You can take it on a surface level, or you can listen to what weāre trying to say.ā
Despite this, thereās definitely an antagonistic edge lying just below the surface of Courting’s tunes, whether thatās the blunt reality coming through in the lyrics or the band’s overall chaotic energy, which has been inspired by their own gig-going habits. āThereās been a culture in Liverpool for a while where youād go to these pleasant indie shows and everyone would want to start walls of death and fights at gigs. So I feel like we played to that attitude ā that people like to feel angry at concerts ā a bit and it informed the music.
āAt the same time, I donāt want to come across as a band thatās pissed off with everything and trying to fix it all,ā he adds. āI just feel it comes from a more cynical perspective. We try to write from a viewpoint that maybe we donāt even agree with, and think about things we donāt always consider.ā
Some things, though, are just unavoidable ā like the presence of football on Merseyside. āAs a kid I wasnāt a massive football fan, but it is impossible to ignore football when you are Scouse ā you canāt get past it,” O’Neil sighs. “You canāt avoid it: itās what we see and experience.ā
Courting’s January single āFootballā captures the reality of hitting William Hill to place your morning accumulator before getting on the pre-match pints come mid-day. But the band themselves donāt partake in such rituals. āNone of us are the most macho men, shall we say,” Thomas admits. “We donāt like sports, and to be a lad in Liverpool you [have to] like football. Weāre more artistic and seen as less masculine, so [‘Football’] was a way of us saying in your face: āWe are this.ā But weāve pulled back away from that now.ā
OāNeill smirks when asked what prompted him to get the song out there. āWe supported Sports Team at the end of last year, and after that gig at least three people matched me on Tinder saying: āAre you the person who kept shouting football?ā I thought if my love life is being dominated by people recognising me as the man who shouts “football!“, then we should release it.ā
Courting are also taking plenty of inspiration from their Mercury Prize-nominated mates, with OāNeill praising Sports Team for “loving it ā thatās key [as a band].ā
NME canāt help but ask: do you think David Byrne has heard āDavid Byrneās Badsideā yet? OāNeill pulls his phone out and laughs: āI hope so, yeah! Iāve emailed it to the address on his website three times.ā
While thereās still been no response from the Talking Heads legend in O’Neill’s inbox, the universe does drop a little hint that Byrne may in fact be listening. As we settle up and the band leave the bar to soak up the remainder of a sunny evening on Merseyside, āOnce In A Lifetimeā starts playing through the speakers ā if thatās not a sign, then what is?
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