Watch Arctic Monkeys perform ‘Brianstorm’ at Glastonbury Festival 2013
With Glastonbury Festival right around the corner, it seems only right to revisit some of the event’s most iconic performances. Founded in 1970 by Michael Eavis, the festival was held sporadically until the 1980s, a time when it became a permanent yearly fixture at Worthy Farm. Since then, Glasto has taken place almost every year, besides its occasional ‘fallow years’ to give the community and land a break, subsequently becoming the most iconic British music event.
Discussing the legacy and development of the festival, Eavis said previously: “When I set out on this crazy, hippy trip, little did I know that this roller coaster would run. But now I have to pinch myself every morning when I wake up to the excitement of another day heading up a team of the most creative artists anywhere in the world.”
The festival has significantly impacted the development of specific genres, such as dance music, which rose in mainstream popularity after Channel 4 aired Orbital’s performance on television. With that, the popularity of bands like Arctic Monkeys has undoubtedly been aided by their impressive live performances, which have been showcased to large crowds at Glastonbury. While the Sheffield four-piece was already hugely popular when they headlined the festival in 2007, following the release of their debut album the previous year, the performance cemented them as British legends.
If anyone in the country was having doubts about Arctic Monkeys’ longevity – after all, the band were barely out of their teens – their Glastonbury headline set proved otherwise. They commanded a tremendous crowd of excited festival-goers, covering Shirley Bassey’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and even dueted with Dizzee Rascal.
From then, Arctic Monkeys only grew in popularity, becoming one of the United Kingdom’s most successful bands. In 2013, they returned to Glastonbury for another headline set, powering through an expanded and much more musically diverse setlist than their 2007 set. Opening with ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ from AM, the band played a mix of old and new tracks, from ‘Teddy Picker’ to ‘R U Mine?’. They ended the night with a spectacular performance of ‘505’, accompanied by Miles Kane.
However, the standout performance came just after ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ with an energy-fuelled rendition of ‘Brainstorm’ from Favourite Worst Nightmare. The track is a live fan favourite due to its pummelling riffs and singalong nature, and it’s hard to imagine an Arctic Monkeys setlist without it.
Arctic Monkeys’ rendition of ‘Brianstorm’ during 2013’s Glasto remains one of the band’s definitive performances. Now, a decade later, they’ll be headlining once again, and they’re certain to pull out all the stops for another show-stopping performance.
Watch the performance below.
