Arctic Monkeys’ five most memorable gigs
Since Arctic Monkeys‘ inception during the early 2000s, the band have played close to 1000 shows, beginning in 2003 with a cover-heavy set at The Grapes in Sheffield. Since then, they have embarked on countless international tours and headlined the likes of Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds Festival.
Arctic Monkeys have recently announced a massive UK and Ireland stadium tour for 2023, which will see them play some of their biggest venues to date. It has also been reported that the band will be headlining Glastonbury in 2023.
The tour news comes after the band announced the release of their upcoming seventh studio album The Car, which drummer Matt Helders has described as “pick[ing] up where [Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino] left off musically,” adding that it’s “never gonna be like ‘R U Mine?” The album is set for release on October 21st 2022, and features single ‘There’d Better Be a Mirrorball’, which dropped at the end of August.
Over the past two decades, Arctic Monkeys have performed some incredibly unforgettable shows all across the globe, cementing themselves as a band not to be missed live. The sheer energy of each members’ performances, paired with Alex Turner’s admirably controlled vocal deliveries, make Arctic Monkeys one of the most impressive current live bands. So, here are five of their most memorable shows from over the years:
Arctic Monkeys’ five most memorable gigs:
Glastonbury (2007)
Arctic Monkeys made an impressive Glastonbury debut in 2007 when they headlined the Pyramid Stage. After winning a Mercury Prize the previous year for their incredible debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the fresh-faced band took to the stage grinning from ear to ear.
Launching into ‘When the Sun Goes Down’, Turner watches on in awe as the massive crowd sing his lyrics back to him with perfect accuracy. Later in their set, the band even bring rapper Dizzee Rascal on stage to perform their collaboration ‘Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend’, before throwing a ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ cover in there too.
Apollo, Manchester (2007)
In 2007, the band followed up their Glastonbury success with an international tour which saw them play the U.S, Canada, Australia, Japan, South America, and the UK. At the end of their UK tour they decided to play a secret show at the Apollo in Manchester, which was turned in a concert DVD.
The film was directed by Richard Ayoade, who later employed Turner to create the soundtrack for his coming of age film Submarine. Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo is most memorable for the performance of ‘505’ near the end of the set, which sees Miles Kane join the band whilst Tuner takes to a keyboard. Turner might look like a scruffy teenager, but his lyrics and emotional vocal performance express a much greater maturity.
Reading (2009)
Shortly after the release of their third album Humbug, which saw the band refine their sound and lyrics with an increased sense of melody and melancholy, they made their debut headline at Reading and Leeds Festival. Instead of opening with an instant crowd favourite such as ‘Brianstorm’ or ‘When the Sun Goes Down’, the band kicked off their set with ‘My Propeller’ before diving straight into a cover of ‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Yet Arctic Monkeys were able to woo fans over with an impressive setlist that blended new tracks with old favourites, such as ‘Still Take You Home’, and ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’. Turner even cleverly incorporated a cover of Dion’s ‘Only You Know’ into ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’. The performance only solidified the band’s ability to take risks and remain successful every time.
Austin City Limits (2013)
It’s hard to pick just one gig from the AM era as one of their most memorable because the band seemed to be on top form at this point. They had reached the height of their fame upon the release of their fifth album, and supported its release with a string of high-profile festival dates, such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, and Roskilde Festival. However, one of their greatest festival slots from this era was Austin City Limits.
By this point, Turner had evolved into a full-fledged leather greaser-style rocker, swaggering around the stage to sing to his bandmates, and swinging his hips like a drunken uncle. Yet his voice sounds as smooth as ever, delivering a few hits from every album they’d released so far. Josh Homme joined the band for ‘Knee Socks’, and their rendition of ‘Arabella’ ended with a snippet of ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath. For sure one of their best sets from the AM period.
TRNSMT (2018)
Many fans were annoyed when Arctic Monkeys ditched their signature guitar-heavy sound in favour of loungey, jazz-influenced tracks that saw Turner croon about space hotels and technology. Their 2018 album Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino is one of the band’s most accomplished works, but a lot of people don’t want to hear that.
The foursome took to the stage for Scotland’s TRNSMT festival, marking their only annual UK festival appearance. Joined by a piano, the band performed a few tracks from their newest album whilst also performing old classics, which saw fans sing along passionately to every song. Arctic Monkeys reminded everyone that after 15 years of performing, they can only get better and better.
