After a landmark Main Stage debut, we caught up with former Dork cover stars COURTING to ask the big questions. (They control the weather now, you know.)
Words: Jamie Muir.
Photos: Derek Bremner (studio), Frances Beach (live).
Courting Are Dead? If you spent any time on social media in the run-up to Reading & Leeds, you might be forgiven for preparing your smartest attire for a funeral like no other from former Dork cover stars Courting as they took to the Main Stage for the very first time.
Don’t worry, though: Courting are here to stay.
Closing the chapter on an era that has seen them drop yet another must-listen album (this year’s ‘New Last Name’), the band’s set over the weekend was an unmissable display of what makes them great. Tracks from across their career to date, an Oasis cover (How did they know?!), and a knight outfit included in the face of rainy downpours – it’s set the marker for everything else to come.
Teasing over the weekend, Courting have since revealed what that might be: a new album due next year. Strap in for the important questions.
Courting! How are you doing after a pretty big Main Stage debut at Reading? Feeling good?
Sean Murphy-O’Neil: Living the dream! I’m banking on this show being on the iPlayer, to be honest, but it’s a dream come true. I’ve been shitting myself for a week about it.
So, how much did you spend on the rain that joined us for the set?
Sean M-O: Are you surprised that we brought this with us?
Sean Thomas: You know there’s that thing that happened in Dubai where they changed the weather, and it caused a miniature flood? I do that for us.
Sean M-O: You’re the weather guy. The guy that everyone saw on drums today does the weather.
Sean T: You know the turtle who sits on a cloud in Mario? [Lakitu.] Picture that, but it’s me.
Joshua Cope: Have you seen Stranger Things? Do you know the guy who looks like Sean? [Finn Wolfhard, aka Mike Wheeler.] He was actually drumming while Sean [Thomas] was up in the sky! He’s wanted to do us a favour for a while now…
This all makes so much sense. How were the preparations for the set?
Sean M-O: Strenuous, vigorous and gruelling. We’ve never practised ever before this week.
Connor McCann: I didn’t even know who these were until today…
Joshua: You STILL don’t know Sean! He was up in the clouds doing the weather!
“No one likes a new song the first time you hear it”
Sean Murphy-O’Neil
Presumably you had a bunch of ideas for this set that ultimately got vetoed or turned down by the powers that be?
Sean M-O: Nothing. We’ve never had a dumb idea that we haven’t done.
Sean T: I did propose coffins.
Joshua: We had loads of ideas, but as time went on, we realised they were a bit impractical. We couldn’t have two knights on stage having a duel.
Sean M-O: At this point, we are so serious. Do you know the Travis Scott ‘Astroworld’ album cover? The giant inflatable face? We contacted the people who made that and tried to see if they could make us a giant inflatable knight, and she said, “You’re too late”. Bummer, we were going to whack a few grand on it.
We had a call with our management, and we did ask them if they could get us a bouncy castle. We genuinely tried. We were going to have knight costumes like they do inflatable costumes that are 9ft tall. We were going to have someone just walking around in one of them, which I think is genuinely a great bit, but we just didn’t have the time to do it. Then, with the bouncy castle, we were just going to have two people bouncing in it. It would have been a good visual.
Sean T: We should have got those car dealership inflated people.
Sean M-O: Ahhh, but I saw Shame here and they did that exact bit, and to be fair, it was funny because they had two of them just there and inflated. Good for them; I’m proud of them.
“I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t”
Sean Murphy-O’Neil
You didn’t have the inflatable guys or the bouncy castle or the giant inflatable knight, BUT you did have a new song that you played.
Sean M-O: Woah! That’s a secret.
Sean T: A secret we did just play on the Main Stage…
It’s a great secret. What was the reaction like?
Sean M-O: I think people liked it! It’s a rocker. No one likes a new song the first time you hear it, but in ten years’ time, when we headline… they still might not like it.
You mentioned on stage that you’ve been to Reading before, as your first festival. Did this feel like a full-circle moment?
Sean M-O: I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t. It might have looked like I was crying because it was pissing down very badly.
Sean T: Yeah, sorry about the rain part there.
Sean M-O: We were actually saying that if it had been sunny, we would have been playing in a tent. When we got this slot, we knew something was going to go wrong. It’s a Day In The Life Of Courting.
Joshua: I didn’t even have a pedal board until about 5 minutes before going on. It broke in the last song.
Sean T: We nearly ended up like Brockhampton – all instrumentals and you three doing the adlibs.
Sean M-O: Just you wait until we can get the sun in on our sets. Anyone on that tomorrow at Leeds?
So now this landmark is ticked off in Courting history, how’s the rest of the year looking?
Sean M-O: We’ve got a 38-day tour of America!
Sean T: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Sean M-O: You know what, I’ll give you an exclusive, but only as an acronym… We’re going to release an album next year, right, and I’ll tell you the name.
Joshua: Should I call Stefan first just to check?
Sean M-O: Ahhhh, I don’t give a fuck! I’m going to tell you the acronym…
Sean T: We’re dropping an album.
Joshua: I mean, we’ve done one for the past three years, I think…
Sean M-O: The acronym is… LFL O HTTTNACOTOTTTS.
Love it.
Sean M-O: I can’t tell you what it stands for, BUT I’m sure you can figure it out.
Sean T: It’s pretty obvious.
Before Courting Era 3, what’s your plan for the rest of the day?
Sean M-O: Sean’s getting back on a cloud.
Sean T: Yeah, I’m going to get that fine rain in on everyone so that it really soaks people through.
If Courting Is Dead until then, has this been the wake? Is this how you saw it going?
Sean T: The rain definitely was part of the mood. No happiness at a Courting gig; that’s the rule.
Sean M-O: Have you ever seen anyone smile at a funeral? So why would they do it at a Courting gig? It’s commitment… [Distracted] Is that Fontaines’ intro music?
Courting tour the US this October/November.
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