Club NME: all the action from the return of the big night

Fans queued down the Kingsland Road to guarantee free entry to Club NME’s big comeback launch.

Speaking to NME prior to the show, Courteeners frontman Liam Fray spoke about the era in which Club NME was launched. “It was a bit of a whirlwind. It’s when it all started for us. Those were our formative years in those places with the lights out and stumbling over everybody.

DJ Rowena at Club NME

DJ Rowena spun indie disco classics to get punters in the mood before our headliners took the stage.

The band launched into 2013 hit ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’ alongside ‘Lose Control’ and more from ‘ANNA’ to set the mood.

A lucky amount of fans squished in and climbed on each other’s shoulders for ‘The 17th’ from ‘Mapping The Rendezvous’.

Fray said to NME that the indie disco has a universal appeal. “It’s a release. I went to university but had a lot of friends who didn’t, and that was our one release for the week, whether you had your head in a book or were plumbing. That was the thing at the end of the week to look forward to.

Courteeners debut album ‘St Jude’ went to Number One earlier this year, fifteen years after its release. ‘Cavorting’ and ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ went down like a treat with a passionate crowd.

Following fan-favourite ‘Sycophant’, their closer ‘What Took You So Long?’ finished the set with one final singalong with the crowd.

Speaking to NME before the gig, Fray described the new album as “no filler” and that they hope to have something out by “the end of the year hopefully”.

Surprise! The Libertines’ Carl Barat and Gary Powell played a secret DJ set to keep the party going.

Mashing up The Killers with Gorillaz, and Kasabian with Beastie Boys, the duo brought some confetti cannons along to up the ante.

Stay tuned to NME for more coverage from the big night. For a chance to win tickets to the next Club NME night, sign up for free at ladbrokeslive.co.uk