The five best acoustic Arctic Monkeys performances
Arctic Monkeys are one of the most electric live bands in the modern day. The feeling of hearing all four band members plug in and let it rip is nearly unmatched in the world of rock. But all that electricity sometimes covers up the fact that, at their core, the Arctic Monkeys have some of the best-written songs of the last 20 years.
The rare occasion where that is best shown is when the band decides to unplug and pick up acoustic instruments. It doesn’t happen often: Arctic Monkeys have seven albums, and almost every single song that appears throughout their catalogue is, in some way or another, electric.
But when Alex Turner and the rest of the band cosy up to a more relaxed atmosphere, the true craftsmanship of their classic songs truly comes to the fore. It helps shine a light on the care and elbow grease that goes into the compositions of the group’s tracks. It also serves as a welcome respite from the onslaught of electric instrumentation. Sometimes, you just want to chill out with an acoustic guitar in hand.
Check out five awesome acoustic performances from the Arctic Monkeys.
The five best acoustic Arctic Monkeys performances:
‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High’
Translated the bluesy desert rock of AM to the acoustic setting is a tricky ask. But as we’ll see below, the Arctic Monkeys are more than up to the task.
‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High’ is perhaps the most revelatory acoustic take that the band ever pulled off. Whereas the original has whipcrack energy, the more subdued acoustic rendition almost feels like a completely different song.
‘Snap Out of It’
It seems almost inconceivable to imagine ‘Snap Out of It’, the rollicking AM cut, without Matt Helders’ driving drum beat. But when he and Turner played an acoustic set at San Diego’s 94.9 radio station in 2014, Helders didn’t even have a tambourine to play.
Instead, his job is to add a potent layer of harmonies to Turner’s main lines. It’s one of the drummer’s most underrated skills, and his singing ability perfectly blends with Turner’s as they gently coo out the lyrics to ‘Snap Out of It’.
‘Mardy Bum’
Even in their earliest days, Arctic Monkeys were being thrown acoustic guitars to see how well they could fare. The band’s debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, is one of the most essential blasts of electrified indie rock in the entire genre’s canon. Surely that couldn’t translate to an acoustic setting, right?
To any of the doubters, I present this performance of ‘Mardy Bum’. Turner’s playful lyrics are on greater display, uncluttered by the other instruments in the band. It’s lovely and delicate, which is a complete about-face from the sound of the debut.
‘Fluorescent Adolescent’
The pressure was on to follow up Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not with something massive. It would take a few years for Arctic Monkeys to fully escape the album’s shadow, but their sophomore album Favourite Worst Nightmare was solid nonetheless.
There was one track that obviously stood out from the rest: the tongue-twisting ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’. With a deluge of cheeky lyrics and turns of phrase, the track is a highly-charged blast of pure excitement. The acoustic version, on the other hand, highlights the more depressing and downtrodden nature of the lyrics.
‘Do I Wanna Know’
How does the razor-sharp distortion of ‘Do I Wanna Know’ translate into the acoustic setting? Pretty easily, as it happens. Turner doesn’t need pedals or amps to make the song’s central charm churn and buzz – an acoustic guitar does the trick just fine.
Once again, it’s Helders’ backing vocals that really shine on the acoustic stage. It’s a bit strange to hear just a tambourine and a pair of maracas filling the space, and ‘Do I Wanna Know’ surprisingly doesn’t need its central riff to translate.
