The Arctic Monkeys’ incredible success is the stuff that dreams are made of. British alternative rock is in the rudest health it has been for years, and a lot of that has been credited to the Arctic Monkeys. Alex Turner, the son of two teachers from High Green, just outside Sheffield, picked up a guitar and formed the band in 2002 with school friends Jamie Cook on guitar, Matt Helders on drums and Andy Nicholson on bass.
A clutch of early gigs saw unprecedented levels of devotion swelling in Sheffield following their first show in 2003, which quickly spread beyond the town’s confines. The buzz grew organically, and by the time the band signed with Domino Records in June 2005, their signature tunes “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”, “When The Sun Goes Down”, “Mardy Bum” and “A Certain Romance” were firm folk favorites. Audiences were stunned by the strength of their songs, tickled by Turner’s skewed social realist lyrics and seduced by the intensity of their live performances.
| Onstage |
| Arctic Monkeys |
| When: 7 p.m. Tuesday |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW |
| Details: Sold out at press time; tickets may be available from online resellers; 9:30.com; 800-955-5566 |
Their debut album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” spawned two number one singles, became the fastest selling debut in UK chart history and easily topped end of year polls in publications as varied as NME, The Guardian, The New York Times and Time magazine.
After making that album with acclaimed rock producer Jim Abbiss (Kasabian, DJ Shadow, Placebo), the band took a creative swerve on its follow-up by working with James Ford and Mike Crossey (from Simian Mobile Disco). The other big change within the ranks of Arctic Monkeys was the introduction of old friend Nick O’Malley on bass halfway through last year (replacing Andy Nicholson). This, too, was taken in stride.
“I’d known them all since I was 10 years old,” says O’Malley of his new band mates. “We’ve all lived in the same area, so it wasn’t like coming into a band where I didn’t know what they’d be like. It’s just been a laugh really, it’s been fine.”
“Favourite Worst Nightmare” is the thrilling second act to the Arctic Monkeys’ story, a breakneck technicolor journey through screwball punk and guitar-fuelled dance floor heroics. It’s very, very fast and very, very loud, a brilliant racket that proves there’s infinitely more to Arctic Monkeys than mere pop songs, though it has them in spades. Musically at least, it follows on from certain songs they wrote from “Whatever…,” “View From The Afternoon,” “From The Ritz To The Rubble” and “Vampires.” A fast and throbbing record was always part of the plan.
They did have slow songs, but as Alex points out, “they were never as much fun in the rehearsal room or whatever, so why do them? I’d rather make an album like that that’s exciting. I don’t really want to make it sound like we’ve ‘grown up.'”
