The Arctic Monkeys after releasing their seventh studio album are returning to Sheffield in the middle of their tour for the album. The 9th and 10th of July were the dates that The monkeys appeared on the stage in Hillsborough Park, accompanied by the Mysterines and then the Hives.
Coming from Sheffield it was hard not to listen to the Arctic Monkeys. From their Sheffield roots to worldwide fame, the Arctic Monkeys comprised of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, and Nick Omalley have achieved so much in two decades that it’s hard to keep track of. Now their seventh studio album is out and they are headlining Glastonbury there’s no better time to have a little recap.
The group was made in 2002 in Sheffield when Alex and Matt who were neighbors and friends teamed up with their mate Andy to form the band. Jamie would also join before their first gig in 2003 and soon followed the recordings of demo tracks. (Andy would leave the band in 2006.)
The Arctic Monkeys gained a name while handing out CDs and holding gigs, they gained popularity through Myspace. The band is known as one of the first bands to gain a serious following through social media. Due to the rise of popularity, they released their debut EP, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys. The popularity also led to them getting an unusually large crowd at Leeds Fest/Reeding Fest on a stage reserved for small and unsigned artists.
In 2006 year, Nick O’Malley joined the band and they released their first debut album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”. This included, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor”, which was their first official song that was released the year prior but flew straight to the number-one spot in the UK singles chart. The album was a classic upon release and is still regarded as one of their best albums by many.
From then they flew by releasing 6 more studio albums: 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' (2007), 'Humbug' (2009), 'Suck It And See' (2011), 'AM' (2013), 'Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino (2018), and 'The Car' (2022). All these gained massive support from fans on release. The five-year gap between AM and Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino left people excited about the album and most were surprised by the band’s new sound. With Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, the band appeared to be jazzier than in their indie, rock, and roll past. This new sound was a hit as Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino became the Monkey's 6th consecutive UK number-one album. Fans from all over the world also loved the release of the car.
This is the album that the band was touring, but this didn't mean that the Monkeys weren't playing some of their old stuff. Starting with the certain romance truly was the band going back to their routes and the inclusion of songs like Brian Storm erupted the crowd and even had fans doing moshpits. The style of these songs was altered to match the newer style of the band, fitting a smoother melodic type of vocals which I appreciated and thought matched well. As the sun came down and Hillsborough Park was in darkness songs like I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor were intense and the inclusion of a mirrorball for the song 505 created a dreamy mood for the crowd.
I would have liked to see more songs from Tranquility Base Hotel+casino, one song from the album they did play was 4 stars out of five which I liked but would have liked to hear others like Star Treatment. Songs from the car I noticed weren't sung much from the crowd and I believe this is because many fans know more of the older works and the fact that the album was new but I also believe it is the intent of the band. The new album feels refreshing and is music that people would want to sit back and listen to.
