Who was the original bass player for the Arctic Monkeys?
The dawn of the 21st century brought with it a revived interest in indie rock. In the United States, bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs came to the fore, while audiences on the other side of the Atlantic revelled in the guitar-driven sounds of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs. But by far the most important and enduring band to arise from the scene in the United Kingdom were Arctic Monkeys.
Led by an increasingly slick and suave frontman in Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys spawned from the suburbs of Sheffield in the early 2000s and found fame on the internet. Their sound paired gruff guitars with lyrics that erred between romance and kitchen sink realism, tales of dirty dancefloors and dreams of naughtiness. They immediately won over a cult following, one that they have retained and increased ever since.
A couple of decades later, Arctic Monkeys have completely cemented their place as one of the most influential guitar bands of the 21st century. Turner is one of the most revered frontmen of his generation, and records like AM and Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not have become modern classics in the genre. But who was in the band’s original lineup?
Though Arctic Monkeys first formed in 2002, it took them a couple of years to release their debut album and to arrive at their current lineup. Lead singer and lyricist Alex Turner started the band with a couple of his teenage friends, drummer Matt Helders and bassist Andy Nicholson. Jamie Cook took up the guitar alongside Turner, and it seemed as though the band had cemented their roster.
So, who was the original bassist for the Arctic Monkeys?
Nicholson was the original bassist for the band, and he played the instrument on their debut album, the defiantly titled, Mercury Prize-winning Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. The album introduced audiences to the indie rock stylings of Arctic Monkeys and to most of their long-standing band members, but Nicholson would soon struggle with the intense touring that followed the release of the record.
Eventually, the band decided to temporarily bring in Nicholas, or Nick, O’Malley on bass while Nicholson took a break from touring. However, O’Malley’s interim position playing bass with the Arctic Monkeys would soon become a permanent place in the band. Nicholson’s departure from the indie rock outfit was announced in the summer of the same year, with O’Malley taking on the instrument instead.
This is the only change in lineup that the band have ever implemented. O’Malley appeared on Favourite Worst Nightmare a year later, which would mark his first full-length studio release with the band. The record produced some staples in Arctic Monkeys’ catalogue, truly iconic songs like ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ and ‘505’, and proved O’Malley’s creative synergy with the other members.
Meanwhile, Nicholson returned to music in 2008, starting a new band called Mongrel, which saw him reunite with Helders. The band released just one album, 2009’s Better Than Heavy, and would never quite achieve the same success as Nicholson’s previous project. Since then, the original bassist has opened up about the experience of leaving the band, admitting that it was difficult.
“It was probably one of the few soul-destroying moments of my life,” Nicholson once shared during an appearance on The Michael Anthony Show, “I remember being in that room once they said [he’d been replaced] and I remember thinking, ‘Just try and be solid about this’. I remember I shook all three of their hands and said, ‘Good luck’.”
“I still to this day don’t really know the full reason of what happened to me or why it happened,” he admitted. O’Malley has retained his position as bassist since Nicholson’s departure, playing alongside Turner, Helders and Cook on every album released after their debut. With each new release, the band reaffirmed themselves as one of the most important indie rock outfits of the era.
