Sheffield’s ARCTIC MONKEYS rolled into Hull as the current NME-approved ‘future of music’, and for once they might just be correct. Despite having released just one single, the band has already toured extensively to build a formidable word of mouth fan-base, and they look equipped to explode into the musical mainstream.
With its pounding riffs and huge singalong chorus, debut single, and set opener, ‘Fakes Tales Of San Francisco’ is a prime example of the Arctic Monkeys’ sound. In fact, much of the gig is a singalong affair as the band tear through a set of crowd pleasers including ‘Mardy Bum’ and ‘When The Sun Goes Down.’ The band certainly isn’t standing still though and included a sprinkling of new material including ‘Vampires Is A Bit Strong, But…’
The Arctic Monkeys’ spit out their songs with enough variety to entertain and engage even the most demanding of listener. While most bands are happy to peddle lukewarm punk-rock masquerading as something that is ‘now’, they transcend this with ease. Comparisons to The Clash may sound lofty and premature but the Arctic Monkeys’ lyrics vividly bring to life the characters and places of their hometown in a similar way. Musically, the band have picked up the baton on songs like ‘From The Ritz To The Rubble’ and ‘A Certain Romance’ as they demonstrate the ability to twist and stretch their songs in interesting ways.
Unfairly or not, the band will inevitably be compared to The Libertines and The Streets. The Libertines comparison is particularly unjust as the band show in a short 45-minute set that they have the ideas and imagination to surpass this, though the spirit and attitude of The Libertines may well have been something that inspired them to pick up their instruments. Being likened to The Streets is much more of a compliment as Mike Skinner’s lyrics demonstrate a poetic quality that paints a graphic picture for the listener. This is something The Arctic Monkeys posses in spade-loads and goes well beyond the now famous ‘I’d like to tell you all my problem…you’re not from New York City…you’re from Rotherham’ dig at the ‘scenesters’ that populate all indie gigs and nightclubs. The Arctic Monkeys are shaping up to be a rare breed; a band with lyrics that actually mean something and the tunes to back up the hype.
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Although very little material is ‘officially’ available, the band has encouraged fans to download their demos for free. The fact that the crowd was note perfect just goes to show how downloads and the free distribution of recordings is giving the most clued-up bands the opportunity to distribute their music to a wider audience. The Arctic Monkeys have used this unfashionable route to their advantage as nearly every gig sells out through word of mouth on their forum and even the mainstream media are beginning to realise that something special is afoot on the music scene.
Believe the hype.
www.arcticmonkeys.com
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