Club NME is back, with the first of its live shows set to be headlined by indie legends Courteeners. Find out more about the upcoming event below.
Since its first live gig in 2004 and subsequent launch the following year, Club NME is back for 2023 and set to kick off next month.
The first of the iconic club nights will take place at EartH Hall, Hackney, on September 15 and include a live set from Manchester indie veterans Courteeners. The instalment will also feature some very special guest DJs who will be announced shortly. Tickets are available to reserve for free here.
Doors open at 8pm for the upcoming London opening night, and the event will run up until the 2am curfew. A maximum of two free tickets per person can be unlocked by entering the code NME52, although tickets do not guarantee entry as the event will be held on a first come first served basis.
This year’s return of Club NME marks the first event that NME will host an event in collaboration with new platform Ladbrokes LIVE, launched in London earlier this month (August 1), with a surprise set from Sugababes and a huge giveaway – which included tickets to All Points East and the upcoming Sugababes headline show at The O2 next month.
By joining forces, the new entertainment hub ensures that all tickets are kept free and allows music lovers the opportunity to connect with their favourite artists in intimate, local spaces.
Speaking of the booking, NME said: “Over the last decade, Courteeners have grafted to become one of the UK’s biggest and most beloved bands, headlining festivals as well as Manchester’s Heaton Park. It’s a real thrill to have them and their fans experience Club NME in an intimate venue like EartH Hall.”
To celebrate the re-launch, journalist and Club NME founder Mark Beaumont recently reflected on the history behind the live music series, and explained how it went on to evolve into “the biggest indie club promoter in the UK”.
“As Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Klaxons and a hundred more chart-destined bands rocketed out of all corners of the country – and The Killers, Kings Of Leon, The Rapture and The White Stripes were discovering the potential of launching your career from the UK first – Club NME was where this dizzying barrage of a scene gelled into the sweat-drenched 4am party to end them all,” he wrote. “Dovetailing perfectly with the emergent UK scene, Club NME similarly exploded.”
Ladbrokes LIVE launched in London earlier this month (August 1), with a surprise set from Sugababes and a huge giveaway – which included tickets to All Points East and the upcoming Sugababes headline show at The O2 next month.
While the forthcoming club night at EartH will be the first of the new instalments for Club NME, it most definitely will not be the last – with more shows around the country set to be announced soon.
Back in 2019, a one-off Club NME night backsaw Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl take to the stage for a secret, intimate set at London’s Moth Club venue – where he was joined onstage by ’80s music veteran and recent Glastonbury star Rick Astley.
As for Courteeners, this year has already marked an important milestone for the band, who recently performed one of their biggest hometown shows to date at Heaton Park, Manchester to celebrate 15 years of their debut album ‘St.Jude’.
At the gig, held back in June, Liam Fray and co. performed in front of a 50,000-strong crowd with a two-hour set. This included playing their 2008 LP in its entirety, along with some choice cuts from across their catalogue.
Later that month, the frontman also caught up with NME backstage at Glastonbury 2023 and revealed what fans can expect from the two new albums on the way.
“We have […] the chance to do anything we fucking want,” he said. “I mean that in the freest sense. Nobody has ever given us any constraints; that’s just me being conservative about what people really want.”
Fray also confirmed that one of the new tracks sounds like “Mac Miller covering Leonard Cohen”, and that the rest of their upcoming music “is gonna blow people’s heads off”.
It’s back! Club NME returns together with Ladbrokes Live with gigs across the UK. Sign up for free at Ladbrokeslive.co.uk for your chance to win tickets.
The post The Courteeners to headline Club NME relaunch next month appeared first on NME.
