Arctic Monkeys
Encyclopedia
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock
band. Formed in 2002 in High Green
, a suburb of Sheffield
, the band currently consists of Alex Turner
(lead vocals, Lead/rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook
(rhythm/lead guitar), Nick O'Malley
(bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Helders
(drums, percussion, backing vocals). Former members include Andy Nicholson (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Glyn Jones (lead vocals, rhythm guitar).
The band have released four studio albums: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
(2006), Favourite Worst Nightmare
(2007), Humbug
(2009) and Suck It and See
(2011), as well as one live album At the Apollo (2008). Their debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history, surpassing Oasis
' Definitely Maybe
and remains the fastest-selling debut album for a band in the UK.
Arctic Monkeys are heralded as one of the first acts to come to the public attention via the Internet
(fan-based sites rather than from the band), with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed.
, and played their first gig on 13 June 2003 at The Grapes in Sheffield city-centre. After a few performances in 2003 the band began to record demos
at 2fly studios in Sheffield. 17 songs were demoed in all and the collection, now known as 'Under the Boardwalk', were burned
on to CDs to give away at gigs, which were promptly file-shared amongst fans. The name 'Beneath the Boardwalk" originated when the first batch of demos were sent around. The first sender, wanting to classify the demos, named them after where he received them, the Boardwalk. Slowly as more demos were spread, they were all classified under this name. This has led to many people falsely believing that 'Beneath the Boardwalk" was an early album, or that the early demos were all released under this heading. The group did not mind the distribution, saying "we never made those demos to make money or anything. We were giving them away free anyway – that was a better way for people to hear them.", admitting that they did not even know how to get their songs onto the Internet
. When asked about the popularity of the band's MySpace
site in an interview with Prefix Magazine, the band said that they were unaware what it was, and that the site had originally been created by their fans.
They began to grow in popularity across the north of England, receiving attention from BBC Radio
and the British tabloid press. A local amateur photographer, Mark Bull, filmed the band's performances and made the music video
to "Fake Tales of San Francisco
", releasing it on his website, alongside the contents of Beneath the Boardwalk – a collection of the band's songs which he named after a local music venue. In May 2005, Arctic Monkeys released their first single, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys
on their own 'Bang Bang' label, featuring the songs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From the Ritz to the Rubble". This release was limited to 500 CDs and 1000 7" records, but was also available to download from the iTunes Music Store
. Soon after, the band played at the Carling Stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals
, reserved for less known or unsigned bands. Their appearance was hyped by much of the music press and the band was watched by an unusually large crowd.
Eventually, they signed to Domino in June 2005. The band said they were attracted to the "DIY
ethic" of Domino owner Laurence Bell, who ran the label from his flat and only signed bands that he liked personally. The UK's Daily Star reported that this was followed in October by a £1 million publishing deal with EMI
and a £725,000 contract with Epic Records
for the United States. Arctic Monkeys denied this on their website, dubbing the newspaper "The Daily Stir". However, Domino have licensed the Australian and New Zealand publishing rights to EMI and the Japanese rights to independent label Hostess. Their first single with Domino, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
", was released on 17 October 2005 and went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart
, beating Sugababes
and Robbie Williams
. Two weeks previous to this, they made their first appearance on the cover of NME
. Their second single, "When the Sun Goes Down" (previously titled "Scummy"), released on 16 January 2006, also went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 38,922 copies and taking over that position from Shayne Ward
. The band's success with little marketing or advertising led some to suggest that it could signal a change in how new bands achieve recognition.
, at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire
in September 2005. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week. This smashed the previous record of 306,631 copies held by Popstars by Hear’Say
, and sold more copies on its first day alone – 118,501 – than the rest of the Top 20 albums combined. The cover sleeve of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
, showing Chris McClure, a friend of the band smoking a cigarette, was criticised by the head of the NHS
in Scotland for "reinforcing the idea that smoking is OK". The image on the CD itself is a shot of an ashtray full of cigarettes. The band's product manager denied the accusation, and suggested the opposite – "You can see from the image smoking is not doing him the world of good."
The record was released a month later in the U.S. and entered at #24 on the Billboard
album chart after it sold 34,000 units in its first week, making it the second fastest selling for a debut indie rock
album in America. However, U.S. sales for the first year did not match those of the first week in the UK for the album. US critics were more reserved about the band than their UK counterparts, and appeared unwilling to be drawn into the possibility of "yet another example of the UK's press over-hyping new bands". However, the band's June 2006 tour of North America received critical acclaim at each stop – the hype surrounding them "proven to exist for good reason". Meanwhile, the UK's NME
magazine declared the band's debut album the "5th greatest British album of all time". They also equalled the record of The Strokes
and Oasis
at the 2006 NME Awards
, winning three fan-voted awards for Best British Band, Best New Band and Best Track for "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor".
Arctic Monkeys wasted no time in recording new material, and released a five-track EP
on 24 April 2006, titled Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
. Due to its length, the EP was ineligible to chart as a UK single or album. Furthermore, the record's graphic language has resulted in significantly less radio airplay than previous records, although this was not a reported concern according to an insider – "since they made their name on the Internet... they don't care if they don't get radio play". The release of the EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
just three months after their record-breaking debut album has been criticised by some, who have seen it as "money-grabbing" and "cashing in on their success". The band countered that they regularly release new music not to make money, but to avoid the "boredom" of "spending three years touring on one album".
Soon after the release of the EP in the UK, the band announced that Andy Nicholson would not take part in the band's forthcoming North America tour
due to fatigue from "an intensive period of touring". On returning to the UK, Nicholson confirmed that he would leave Arctic Monkeys and start his own project. He also said that he couldn't deal with the band's fame and the success over the previous six months. In a statement on their official website, the band said: "We are sad to tell everyone that Andy is no longer with the band", also confirmed that Nick O'Malley – former bassist with The Dodgems who had drafted in as temporary bassist for the tour – would continue as bassist for the rest of their summer tour schedule. Shortly after, Nick O'Malley was confirmed as the formal replacement for Nicholson.
Arctic Monkeys' first release without Nicholson, the single "Leave Before the Lights Come On
", came on 14 August 2006. Turner said that the song was one of the last songs he wrote before their rise to fame, and suggested that "it feels very much like it could be on the album". Peaking at #4 in the UK, the single became the band's first failure to reach #1. The band was re-united at the Leeds Festival
when Nicholson met up with his former band mates and his replacement bassist, O'Malley. Only the original band members, minus Nicholson, were present at the award ceremony when Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
won the 2006 Mercury Prize
two weeks later.
, was released on 23 April 2007, a week after the release of accompanying single "Brianstorm
". Like it's predecessor, "Favourite Worst Nightmare
" also went straight to #1 in the album charts. Turner described the songs as "very different from last time", adding that the sound of some tracks are "a bit full-on – a bit like "From the Ritz to the Rubble", "The View from the Afternoon", that sort of thing." A secret gig played at Sheffield's Leadmill on 10 February 2007, debuted seven new songs (six from Favourite Worst Nightmare and one other). Early reviews of the release were positive, and described it as "very, very fast and very, very loud."
Meanwhile, the band continued to pick up awards from around the world, namely the 'Best New Artist in the United States' at the PLUG Independent Music Awards
, the "Album of the Year" awards in Japan, Ireland and the US, awards for "Best Album" and "Best Music DVD" at the 2007 NME Awards. They ended the year by clinching the "Best British Band" and "Best British Album" at the 2008 BRIT Awards
. For the second year in a row, the band were nominated for the annual Mercury Prize
, although they failed to match their feat of 2006 after the award went to Klaxons
' Myths of the Near Future
.
On 29 April 2007, the day Favourite Worst Nightmare charted at #1 in the UK Albums Chart
, all 12 tracks from the album charted in the Top 200 of the UK Singles Chart
. On 27 April 2007 they had a total of 18 tracks in the Top 200. "Fluorescent Adolescent
" and "505" charted in the Top 75, at #60 and #74 respectively. The band later released "Fluorescent Adolescent
" as a single, and it charted at #5, after debuting the song live on The Jonathan Ross Show.
The third single from Favourite Worst Nightmare, "Teddy Picker
", was released on 3 December 2007. It charted at #20 and remained only one week in the top 40 staying in this position, making it the lowest charting single for the band so far. Prior to this release the band released an extremely limited number of 250 vinyl
under the pseudonym Death Ramps
containing two of the b-side
s from the "Teddy Picker
" single.
Arctic Monkeys headlined the Glastonbury Festival
on 22 June 2007, the highlights of which were aired on BBC2. During their headline act, the band performed with Dizzee Rascal
and covered Shirley Bassey
's "Diamonds Are Forever
". The band also played a large gig at Dublin's Malahide Castle
on 16 June 2007, with a second date added the following day. The band was also slated to play the Austin City Limits Music Festival
in September 2007. Other European festivals include Rock Werchter in 2007.
The band played two shows at Cardiff International Arena
on 19 June and 20 June 2007 supported by local friends of the band, Reverend and the Makers
. They also played two London gigs at Alexandra Palace
on 8 and 9 December 2007. On 1 September 2009 the band insisted on taking a working holiday to Ibiza where they played what turned out to be the last ever full live Ibiza Rocks
show in Bar M (now Ibiza Rocks Bar). The band performed in front of 700 people in the bar by the beach whilst many thousands lined the beach outside unable to get a ticket – The Sun described this concert as the "rock event of the summer" stating that "most people left saying they had just witnessed the best gig of their lives". The band played their last show of the tour on 17 December 2007 at Manchester Apollo, which was filmed for the live DVD 'At The Apollo' which was released in cinemas the following year.
in early autumn, 2008, and 12 in the New York sessions with James Ford
in spring, 2009, following their January tour of New Zealand and Australia. During this tour, lead single Crying Lightning
, along with Humbug songs "Pretty Visitors", "Dangerous Animals", and "Potion Approaching" (then known as "Go-Kart"), was debuted live. It was later revealed by Matt Helders in a video diary that the album would consist of 14 tracks and that Alex Turner would stay in New York to oversee the mixing of the material. However, the final tracklisting, revealed on 1 June 2009, listed only 10.
In a preview article on ClashMusic.com, writer Simon Harper claimed that the band had "completely defied any expectations or presumptions to explore the depths they can reach when stepping foot outside their accepted styles", and that "Turner is his usual eloquent self, but has definitely graduated into an incomparable writer whose themes twist and turn through stories and allegories so potent and profound it actually leaves one breathless". On the same site, Alex Turner revealed that the band had listened to Nick Cave
, Jimi Hendrix
and Cream
while writing the new album, the title of the which would be Humbug
.. "Humbug
" was released on 19 August 2009, and, like both of it's predecessors, the album went straight to #1.
As announced on the Arctic Monkeys website the first single was "Crying Lightning
", released on 6 July, digitally through iTunes and also received its first radio premiere on the same day. On 12 July 2009, the single "Crying Lightning
" debuted at number 12 in the UK Singles Chart
and number 1 on the UK Indie Chart. The second single, "Cornerstone
", was released on 16 November 2009 to much critical acclaim, but failed to replicate the same success that every prior Arctic Monkeys single had, reaching a peak at position 94 on the UK singles chart. It was announced in February 2010 that the 3rd and final single to be taken from Humbug would be "My Propeller
", released on 22 March, shortly before a one off UK show at the Royal Albert Hall in support on the Teenage Cancer Trust on 27 March.
Arctic Monkeys embarked on the first leg of the worldwide Humbug Tour
in January 2009 and went on to headline 2009's Reading and Leeds Festivals
. During this performance, they played a number of songs from Humbug, plus older tracks. They also did a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's Song 'Red Right Hand' They were also the headline act on the first night of 2009's Exit festival in Serbia
. In North America, where they have less of a following, they played abridged sets at Montreal's Osheaga Festival
, as well as New Jersey's All Points West Music and Arts Festival. The tour finished on 22 April 2010 in Mexico.
reported in January 2011 that the band are teaming up with producer James Ford
once again, and will be releasing their fourth studio album in late spring at the earliest. Q magazine reported that the fourth Arctic Monkeys album will be of a "more accessible vintage" than Humbug. Q printed edition 299 states 'It's the sound of a band drawing back the curtains and letting the sunshine in'.
The album was recorded in Sound City Studios in Los Angeles in 2010 and 2011. On 4 March 2011 they premièred a new track called "Brick by Brick
" on their website. Helders explained that this is not a single, just a tease of what is coming and that is definitely going to be in the fourth album. On 10 March 2011 the band revealed the album is to be called Suck It and See
and was released on 6 June 2011.
Their fourth album's first single, titled "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
" was released as a digital download on 11 April, and on Vinyl with "Brick by Brick" on 16 April for Record Store Day
. A version of the single with 2 B-sides was released on 7 and 10 inch vinyl on 30 May. The band allowed fans to listen to the entire album on their website before deciding about whether to purchase it or not. "Suck It and See
" was then released on 6 June 2011, and went straight to #1 in the album charts. In doing so, Arctic Monkeys became only the second band in history to debut four albums in a row at the top of the charts.
The band announced The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
as the second single to be taken from Suck It and See
. Most of the stock was burned because of the London riots. A limited edition 7' Vinyl of the single was then released over the band's website on 14 August. The song only managed to chart in the top 200 in the UK, however reaching higher in Belgium
at #25. In September 2011 the band released a music video for the song "Suck It and See" featuring drummer Matt Helders, and announced they would be releasing it as a single on 31 October 2011. In July 2011, the band released a live EP over iTunes
with 6 live recordings from the iTunes Festival
in London.
The band confirmed that they will release a DVD, documenting their performance in Don Valley
. On 29 August 2011 the band released a trailer of the DVD.
Arctic Monkeys embarked in May 2011 on their Suck It and See Tour
. They headlined the Benicassim Festival 2011
along side The Strokes
, Arcade Fire and Primal Scream
. They also headlined Oxegen 2011
, Super Bock Super Rock 2011, V Festival 2011, Rock Werchter
. and T in The Park. They confirmed on 7 February that they were playing two "massive homecoming shows" at the Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield on 10 and 11 June, support included Miles Kane
, Anna Calvi
, The Vaccines
, Dead Sons and Mabel Love, clips from the show were also used in the music video for The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
. They played at Lollapalooza
5–7 August 2011. On 21 August, they also played at Lowlands, the Netherlands. The tour is expected to continue until February 2012.
On 27 October they released a music video for "Evil Twin" on YouTube, the b-side to their new single "Suck It And See". They performed the song on The Graham Norton Show on 28 October.
, although this is not yet confirmed. In numerous interviews, both Turner and Kane, of The Last Shadow Puppets
, have stated that they "will ride again"
featured mostly desert rock style as the influence of producer Josh Homme was more than evident. Their latest album Suck It and See
sees the band exploring different styles, mixing them with newfound maturity. Alex Turner said: "I think the new album is a balance between our first three. There's nothing about taxi ranks or anything like that, but there's a bit of the standpoint I had on those early songs and the sense of humour, but also there's a bit of the 'Humbug' stuff which is kind of off in the corners."
Session and touring musicians:
Former members:
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band. Formed in 2002 in High Green
High Green
High Green is the northernmost suburb of Sheffield, England. Its about 8 miles in distance from inner Sheffield.It is found to the north of Chapeltown and is served by a number of buses; the nearest rail station is in Chapeltown 1 mile away....
, a suburb of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, the band currently consists of Alex Turner
Alex Turner (musician)
Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
(lead vocals, Lead/rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook
Jamie Cook
Jamie Robert Cook is the lead guitarist for the British indie rock band Arctic Monkeys.He is the most outspoken member, going on record as saying he "fucking hates the [print] news" and defending the band's numerous successive records by saying, "I couldn’t see us being like Coldplay, it’d just be...
(rhythm/lead guitar), Nick O'Malley
Nick O'Malley
Nicholas O'Malley , is the bass guitarist of Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys.- Biography :O'Malley was drafted in as a temporary replacement for bassist Andy Nicholson when the latter announced he would not make the band's North America tour in May 2006...
(bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Helders
Matt Helders
Matthew Helders , is the drummer for English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. He is the most comprehensive backing vocalist in the group, appearing on several tracks, including the majority of 'Humbug'...
(drums, percussion, backing vocals). Former members include Andy Nicholson (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Glyn Jones (lead vocals, rhythm guitar).
The band have released four studio albums: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
(2006), Favourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare is the second studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys that was first released in Japan on 18 April 2007 before being released around the world. Recorded in east London's Miloco Studios with producers James Ford and Mike Crossey, the album was preceded by the...
(2007), Humbug
Humbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
(2009) and Suck It and See
Suck It and See
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick...
(2011), as well as one live album At the Apollo (2008). Their debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history, surpassing Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
' Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English rock band Oasis, released in August 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and "Live Forever"....
and remains the fastest-selling debut album for a band in the UK.
Arctic Monkeys are heralded as one of the first acts to come to the public attention via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
(fan-based sites rather than from the band), with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed.
Early years and record deal (2002–2005)
They began rehearsing at Yellow Arch Studios in NeepsendNeepsend
Neepsend is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, it stands just north east of the city centre. The main area of Neepsend covers the flood plain of the River Don from Lady's Bridge at the Wicker up to Hillfoot Bridge...
, and played their first gig on 13 June 2003 at The Grapes in Sheffield city-centre. After a few performances in 2003 the band began to record demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
at 2fly studios in Sheffield. 17 songs were demoed in all and the collection, now known as 'Under the Boardwalk', were burned
Optical disc authoring
Optical disc authoring, including DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring , is the process of assembling source material—video, audio or other data—into the proper logical volume format to then be recorded onto an optical disc .-Process:To burn an optical disc, one usually first creates an...
on to CDs to give away at gigs, which were promptly file-shared amongst fans. The name 'Beneath the Boardwalk" originated when the first batch of demos were sent around. The first sender, wanting to classify the demos, named them after where he received them, the Boardwalk. Slowly as more demos were spread, they were all classified under this name. This has led to many people falsely believing that 'Beneath the Boardwalk" was an early album, or that the early demos were all released under this heading. The group did not mind the distribution, saying "we never made those demos to make money or anything. We were giving them away free anyway – that was a better way for people to hear them.", admitting that they did not even know how to get their songs onto the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. When asked about the popularity of the band's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
site in an interview with Prefix Magazine, the band said that they were unaware what it was, and that the site had originally been created by their fans.
They began to grow in popularity across the north of England, receiving attention from BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
and the British tabloid press. A local amateur photographer, Mark Bull, filmed the band's performances and made the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
to "Fake Tales of San Francisco
Fake Tales of San Francisco
"Fake Tales of San Francisco" is a song by Arctic Monkeys originally released on the band's first EP Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys in May 2005...
", releasing it on his website, alongside the contents of Beneath the Boardwalk – a collection of the band's songs which he named after a local music venue. In May 2005, Arctic Monkeys released their first single, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys
Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys
Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys is the debut EP by Sheffield band Arctic Monkeys. Released on 30 May 2005, it featured a re-recording of fan favourite "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and new song and B-side "From the Ritz to the Rubble". It was a limited release by Bang Bang Recordings - a label was...
on their own 'Bang Bang' label, featuring the songs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From the Ritz to the Rubble". This release was limited to 500 CDs and 1000 7" records, but was also available to download from the iTunes Music Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Soon after, the band played at the Carling Stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, reserved for less known or unsigned bands. Their appearance was hyped by much of the music press and the band was watched by an unusually large crowd.
Eventually, they signed to Domino in June 2005. The band said they were attracted to the "DIY
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
ethic" of Domino owner Laurence Bell, who ran the label from his flat and only signed bands that he liked personally. The UK's Daily Star reported that this was followed in October by a £1 million publishing deal with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and a £725,000 contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
for the United States. Arctic Monkeys denied this on their website, dubbing the newspaper "The Daily Stir". However, Domino have licensed the Australian and New Zealand publishing rights to EMI and the Japanese rights to independent label Hostess. Their first single with Domino, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
-Charts:-External links:* Mapped on Platial....
", was released on 17 October 2005 and went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, beating Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
and Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
. Two weeks previous to this, they made their first appearance on the cover of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. Their second single, "When the Sun Goes Down" (previously titled "Scummy"), released on 16 January 2006, also went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 38,922 copies and taking over that position from Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
. The band's success with little marketing or advertising led some to suggest that it could signal a change in how new bands achieve recognition.
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
The band finished recording their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
, at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in September 2005. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week. This smashed the previous record of 306,631 copies held by Popstars by Hear’Say
Hear’Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
, and sold more copies on its first day alone – 118,501 – than the rest of the Top 20 albums combined. The cover sleeve of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
, showing Chris McClure, a friend of the band smoking a cigarette, was criticised by the head of the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
in Scotland for "reinforcing the idea that smoking is OK". The image on the CD itself is a shot of an ashtray full of cigarettes. The band's product manager denied the accusation, and suggested the opposite – "You can see from the image smoking is not doing him the world of good."
The record was released a month later in the U.S. and entered at #24 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart after it sold 34,000 units in its first week, making it the second fastest selling for a debut indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
album in America. However, U.S. sales for the first year did not match those of the first week in the UK for the album. US critics were more reserved about the band than their UK counterparts, and appeared unwilling to be drawn into the possibility of "yet another example of the UK's press over-hyping new bands". However, the band's June 2006 tour of North America received critical acclaim at each stop – the hype surrounding them "proven to exist for good reason". Meanwhile, the UK's NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine declared the band's debut album the "5th greatest British album of all time". They also equalled the record of The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
and Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
at the 2006 NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
, winning three fan-voted awards for Best British Band, Best New Band and Best Track for "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor".
Arctic Monkeys wasted no time in recording new material, and released a five-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on 24 April 2006, titled Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
-Personnel:* Alex Turner – lead vocals, guitar* Jamie Cook – guitar* Andy Nicholson – bass* Matt Helders – drums, backing vocals-Charts:...
. Due to its length, the EP was ineligible to chart as a UK single or album. Furthermore, the record's graphic language has resulted in significantly less radio airplay than previous records, although this was not a reported concern according to an insider – "since they made their name on the Internet... they don't care if they don't get radio play". The release of the EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?
-Personnel:* Alex Turner – lead vocals, guitar* Jamie Cook – guitar* Andy Nicholson – bass* Matt Helders – drums, backing vocals-Charts:...
just three months after their record-breaking debut album has been criticised by some, who have seen it as "money-grabbing" and "cashing in on their success". The band countered that they regularly release new music not to make money, but to avoid the "boredom" of "spending three years touring on one album".
Soon after the release of the EP in the UK, the band announced that Andy Nicholson would not take part in the band's forthcoming North America tour
Arctic Monkeys tour history
Arctic Monkeys are a four-piece indie rock band from Sheffield, England. Since signing for Domino Records in 2005, the band have gained popularity in many parts of the world, and have gradually progressed to playing larger venues...
due to fatigue from "an intensive period of touring". On returning to the UK, Nicholson confirmed that he would leave Arctic Monkeys and start his own project. He also said that he couldn't deal with the band's fame and the success over the previous six months. In a statement on their official website, the band said: "We are sad to tell everyone that Andy is no longer with the band", also confirmed that Nick O'Malley – former bassist with The Dodgems who had drafted in as temporary bassist for the tour – would continue as bassist for the rest of their summer tour schedule. Shortly after, Nick O'Malley was confirmed as the formal replacement for Nicholson.
Arctic Monkeys' first release without Nicholson, the single "Leave Before the Lights Come On
Leave Before the Lights Come On
"Leave Before the Lights Come On" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. The song was released on 14 August 2006 as the band's third single in the United Kingdom...
", came on 14 August 2006. Turner said that the song was one of the last songs he wrote before their rise to fame, and suggested that "it feels very much like it could be on the album". Peaking at #4 in the UK, the single became the band's first failure to reach #1. The band was re-united at the Leeds Festival
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
when Nicholson met up with his former band mates and his replacement bassist, O'Malley. Only the original band members, minus Nicholson, were present at the award ceremony when Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
won the 2006 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
two weeks later.
Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)
The band's second album, Favourite Worst NightmareFavourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare is the second studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys that was first released in Japan on 18 April 2007 before being released around the world. Recorded in east London's Miloco Studios with producers James Ford and Mike Crossey, the album was preceded by the...
, was released on 23 April 2007, a week after the release of accompanying single "Brianstorm
Brianstorm
-Chart positions:It reached number one on the UK indie chart. Also the three other tracks from this single charted in the UK single chart on 28 April 2007. "Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend" was number 77, "What If You Were Right the First Time?" was number 114 and "If You Found This...
". Like it's predecessor, "Favourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare
Favourite Worst Nightmare is the second studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys that was first released in Japan on 18 April 2007 before being released around the world. Recorded in east London's Miloco Studios with producers James Ford and Mike Crossey, the album was preceded by the...
" also went straight to #1 in the album charts. Turner described the songs as "very different from last time", adding that the sound of some tracks are "a bit full-on – a bit like "From the Ritz to the Rubble", "The View from the Afternoon", that sort of thing." A secret gig played at Sheffield's Leadmill on 10 February 2007, debuted seven new songs (six from Favourite Worst Nightmare and one other). Early reviews of the release were positive, and described it as "very, very fast and very, very loud."
Meanwhile, the band continued to pick up awards from around the world, namely the 'Best New Artist in the United States' at the PLUG Independent Music Awards
PLUG Independent Music Awards
The PLUG Independent Music Awards, or just PLUG Awards, began in 2001 as a "cartel" of music lovers ranging from DJs and managers to indie retailers and fans.*This event is not in any way associated with the .-2008:...
, the "Album of the Year" awards in Japan, Ireland and the US, awards for "Best Album" and "Best Music DVD" at the 2007 NME Awards. They ended the year by clinching the "Best British Band" and "Best British Album" at the 2008 BRIT Awards
2008 BRIT Awards
The 2008 BRIT Awards was the 28th edition of the biggest annual music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 20 February 2008 at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The ceremony attracted 6.1 million viewers, 800,000 more than the...
. For the second year in a row, the band were nominated for the annual Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
, although they failed to match their feat of 2006 after the award went to Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
' Myths of the Near Future
Myths of the Near Future (album)
Klaxons' French label Because released "As Above, So Below" as a limited edition clear vinyl 12" in November 2007. The 12" features two versions of the track, a French language version and a remix by Justice....
.
On 29 April 2007, the day Favourite Worst Nightmare charted at #1 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, all 12 tracks from the album charted in the Top 200 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. On 27 April 2007 they had a total of 18 tracks in the Top 200. "Fluorescent Adolescent
Fluorescent Adolescent
- Chart performance :On downloads alone, "Fluorescent Adolescent" charted in the UK Singles Chart at #55 for the week commencing 25 June 2007. The song charted at number five upon release of the single on CD for the week commencing 16 July 2007. Since 27 June 2007, "Fluorescent Adolescent" has...
" and "505" charted in the Top 75, at #60 and #74 respectively. The band later released "Fluorescent Adolescent
Fluorescent Adolescent
- Chart performance :On downloads alone, "Fluorescent Adolescent" charted in the UK Singles Chart at #55 for the week commencing 25 June 2007. The song charted at number five upon release of the single on CD for the week commencing 16 July 2007. Since 27 June 2007, "Fluorescent Adolescent" has...
" as a single, and it charted at #5, after debuting the song live on The Jonathan Ross Show.
The third single from Favourite Worst Nightmare, "Teddy Picker
Teddy Picker
-Charts:...
", was released on 3 December 2007. It charted at #20 and remained only one week in the top 40 staying in this position, making it the lowest charting single for the band so far. Prior to this release the band released an extremely limited number of 250 vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
under the pseudonym Death Ramps
Death Ramps
"The Death Ramps" is a song by Arctic Monkeys under the pseudonym The Death Ramps. The tracks on the record are both b-sides from the Arctic Monkeys single Teddy Picker from their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare. The vinyl was limited to just 250 copies...
containing two of the b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
s from the "Teddy Picker
Teddy Picker
-Charts:...
" single.
Arctic Monkeys headlined the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
on 22 June 2007, the highlights of which were aired on BBC2. During their headline act, the band performed with Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
and covered Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
's "Diamonds Are Forever
Diamonds Are Forever (soundtrack)
Diamonds Are Forever is the soundtrack for the 7th James Bond film of the same name."Diamonds Are Forever", the title song, was the second Bond theme to be performed by Shirley Bassey, after Goldfinger in 1964...
". The band also played a large gig at Dublin's Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle, parts of which date to the 12th century, lies, with over of remaining estate parkland , close to the village of Malahide, nine miles north of Dublin in Ireland.-History:...
on 16 June 2007, with a second date added the following day. The band was also slated to play the Austin City Limits Music Festival
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
in September 2007. Other European festivals include Rock Werchter in 2007.
The band played two shows at Cardiff International Arena
Cardiff International Arena
The Cardiff International Arena was opened on 10 September 1993, by Shirley Bassey, in front of 5,500 fans. On 1 March 2011, the Cardiff International Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, after the car sales company with a branch in Newport bought the naming rights to the Cardiff...
on 19 June and 20 June 2007 supported by local friends of the band, Reverend and the Makers
Reverend and The Makers
Reverend and The Makers are an indie pop band based in Sheffield, England and signed to Wall of Sound. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend"...
. They also played two London gigs at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
on 8 and 9 December 2007. On 1 September 2009 the band insisted on taking a working holiday to Ibiza where they played what turned out to be the last ever full live Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that has run annually in San Antonio, Ibiza since 2005. Normally the festival consists of seventeen consecutive weekly Wednesday night concerts in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel...
show in Bar M (now Ibiza Rocks Bar). The band performed in front of 700 people in the bar by the beach whilst many thousands lined the beach outside unable to get a ticket – The Sun described this concert as the "rock event of the summer" stating that "most people left saying they had just witnessed the best gig of their lives". The band played their last show of the tour on 17 December 2007 at Manchester Apollo, which was filmed for the live DVD 'At The Apollo' which was released in cinemas the following year.
Humbug (2008–2010)
After a brief hiatus in which Alex Turner embarked on his side project with Miles Kane 'The Last Shadow Puppets', the band recorded a total of 24 songs; 12 in the Rancho De La Luna recording sessions with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone AgeQueens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
in early autumn, 2008, and 12 in the New York sessions with James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
in spring, 2009, following their January tour of New Zealand and Australia. During this tour, lead single Crying Lightning
Crying Lightning
-Charts:...
, along with Humbug songs "Pretty Visitors", "Dangerous Animals", and "Potion Approaching" (then known as "Go-Kart"), was debuted live. It was later revealed by Matt Helders in a video diary that the album would consist of 14 tracks and that Alex Turner would stay in New York to oversee the mixing of the material. However, the final tracklisting, revealed on 1 June 2009, listed only 10.
In a preview article on ClashMusic.com, writer Simon Harper claimed that the band had "completely defied any expectations or presumptions to explore the depths they can reach when stepping foot outside their accepted styles", and that "Turner is his usual eloquent self, but has definitely graduated into an incomparable writer whose themes twist and turn through stories and allegories so potent and profound it actually leaves one breathless". On the same site, Alex Turner revealed that the band had listened to Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
while writing the new album, the title of the which would be Humbug
Humbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
.. "Humbug
Humbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
" was released on 19 August 2009, and, like both of it's predecessors, the album went straight to #1.
As announced on the Arctic Monkeys website the first single was "Crying Lightning
Crying Lightning
-Charts:...
", released on 6 July, digitally through iTunes and also received its first radio premiere on the same day. On 12 July 2009, the single "Crying Lightning
Crying Lightning
-Charts:...
" debuted at number 12 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number 1 on the UK Indie Chart. The second single, "Cornerstone
Cornerstone (song)
-Charts:Being released as an EP in Oxfam shops, the single charted at number 94 in the UK charts, 99 in the Australian charts and charted at 7 on the UK indie charts. It also debuted at number 7 on the Soundscan singles charts for sales in Canada....
", was released on 16 November 2009 to much critical acclaim, but failed to replicate the same success that every prior Arctic Monkeys single had, reaching a peak at position 94 on the UK singles chart. It was announced in February 2010 that the 3rd and final single to be taken from Humbug would be "My Propeller
My Propeller
-Charts:...
", released on 22 March, shortly before a one off UK show at the Royal Albert Hall in support on the Teenage Cancer Trust on 27 March.
Arctic Monkeys embarked on the first leg of the worldwide Humbug Tour
Humbug Tour
The Humbug Tour was a world concert tour by British Indie rock band Arctic Monkeys in support of their third studio album, Humbug. Although Humbug was not released until 25 August 2009, the tour started with a series of shows in Australia and New Zealand in the January of that year. Following this...
in January 2009 and went on to headline 2009's Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
. During this performance, they played a number of songs from Humbug, plus older tracks. They also did a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seed's Song 'Red Right Hand' They were also the headline act on the first night of 2009's Exit festival in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. In North America, where they have less of a following, they played abridged sets at Montreal's Osheaga Festival
Osheaga Festival
The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival is a multi-day rock festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held annually at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène every summer. The 2006 festival attracted a crowd of around 25,000 people. The second edition was held on September 8 and 9, 2007...
, as well as New Jersey's All Points West Music and Arts Festival. The tour finished on 22 April 2010 in Mexico.
Suck It and See (2011–)
NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
reported in January 2011 that the band are teaming up with producer James Ford
James Ford (musician)
James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
once again, and will be releasing their fourth studio album in late spring at the earliest. Q magazine reported that the fourth Arctic Monkeys album will be of a "more accessible vintage" than Humbug. Q printed edition 299 states 'It's the sound of a band drawing back the curtains and letting the sunshine in'.
The album was recorded in Sound City Studios in Los Angeles in 2010 and 2011. On 4 March 2011 they premièred a new track called "Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick (Arctic Monkeys song)
"Brick by Brick" is a song by Arctic Monkeys from the band's fourth album Suck It and See. The song was the first track to be revealed from the album, on 4 March 2011, and was designed as a teaser for the album rather than a lead single. The lead single was instead "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved...
" on their website. Helders explained that this is not a single, just a tease of what is coming and that is definitely going to be in the fourth album. On 10 March 2011 the band revealed the album is to be called Suck It and See
Suck It and See
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick...
and was released on 6 June 2011.
Their fourth album's first single, titled "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. The song was released as the first single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was released as a digital download on 12 April 2011...
" was released as a digital download on 11 April, and on Vinyl with "Brick by Brick" on 16 April for Record Store Day
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
. A version of the single with 2 B-sides was released on 7 and 10 inch vinyl on 30 May. The band allowed fans to listen to the entire album on their website before deciding about whether to purchase it or not. "Suck It and See
Suck It and See
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick...
" was then released on 6 June 2011, and went straight to #1 in the album charts. In doing so, Arctic Monkeys became only the second band in history to debut four albums in a row at the top of the charts.
The band announced The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was intended to be released as a 7" vinyl on 15 August 2011....
as the second single to be taken from Suck It and See
Suck It and See
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick...
. Most of the stock was burned because of the London riots. A limited edition 7' Vinyl of the single was then released over the band's website on 14 August. The song only managed to chart in the top 200 in the UK, however reaching higher in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
at #25. In September 2011 the band released a music video for the song "Suck It and See" featuring drummer Matt Helders, and announced they would be releasing it as a single on 31 October 2011. In July 2011, the band released a live EP over iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
with 6 live recordings from the iTunes Festival
ITunes Festival
The iTunes Festival is an annual music festival and concert series which is held in London at The Roundhouse art centre and sponsored by Apple Inc. It was first held in 2007...
in London.
The band confirmed that they will release a DVD, documenting their performance in Don Valley
Don Valley Festival
Don Valley Festival was established in 1912.The Festival is accredited to the British & International Federation of Festivals....
. On 29 August 2011 the band released a trailer of the DVD.
Arctic Monkeys embarked in May 2011 on their Suck It and See Tour
Suck It and See Tour
Suck It and See Tour is an ongoing worldwide concert tour by English band Arctic Monkeys in support of their chart-topping, fourth studio album Suck It and See....
. They headlined the Benicassim Festival 2011
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is an annual music festival which takes place in the village of Benicàssim, province of Castelló, Valencian Community in Spain. It focuses mainly on pop, rock and electronica artists, as well as having other elements besides music like short films,...
along side The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, Arcade Fire and Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
. They also headlined Oxegen 2011
Oxegen 2011
Oxegen 2011 was the eighth Oxegen festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 8 July, Saturday, 9 July and Sunday, 10 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland...
, Super Bock Super Rock 2011, V Festival 2011, Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter is a Belgian annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, since 1974. It is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe...
. and T in The Park. They confirmed on 7 February that they were playing two "massive homecoming shows" at the Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield on 10 and 11 June, support included Miles Kane
Miles Kane
Miles Peter Kane is an English musician originally from Meols on the Wirral near Liverpool, best known as the co-frontman of The Last Shadow Puppets and former frontman of The Rascals...
, Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi is an English musician who plays in the band of the same name. On 6 December 2010, Calvi was announced as a nominee for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. Her self-titled debut album was released in the UK on 17 January 2011, where it debuted at number 40 on 23 January...
, The Vaccines
The Vaccines
The Vaccines are an English indie rock band who formed in West London in 2010. The band's debut album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, was released through Columbia Records on 14 March 2011 and reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart. They are currently the biggest selling new band of 2011....
, Dead Sons and Mabel Love, clips from the show were also used in the music video for The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was intended to be released as a 7" vinyl on 15 August 2011....
. They played at Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
5–7 August 2011. On 21 August, they also played at Lowlands, the Netherlands. The tour is expected to continue until February 2012.
On 27 October they released a music video for "Evil Twin" on YouTube, the b-side to their new single "Suck It And See". They performed the song on The Graham Norton Show on 28 October.
Next album (?)
In an interview with the Sun, Alex Turner said that Arctic Monkeys will take a break from the recording and performing until 2013. Frontman Alex Turner said: "I don't really write on the road any more. We come up with a few ideas on soundchecks and that but I have written too many terrible lyrics touring around. As yet there is no plan to return to the studio next year, we're keeping our heads down.". There has been rumours that Alex Turner may be taking a break to record a second album with The Last Shadow PuppetsThe Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets is a band consisting of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane formerly of The Rascals, and composer/producer James Ford.-Formation:...
, although this is not yet confirmed. In numerous interviews, both Turner and Kane, of The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets is a band consisting of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane formerly of The Rascals, and composer/producer James Ford.-Formation:...
, have stated that they "will ride again"
Musical style and influences
The band's music falls under the umbrella of indie rock. On the first album Alex Turner examined human behaviour in nightclubs. Alex Turner describes "Dancing Shoes" as being about "people always looking to pull when they go out however much they mask it." These themes continued on the following album Favorite Worst Nightmare with the band still progressing as musicians. HumbugHumbug (album)
Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
featured mostly desert rock style as the influence of producer Josh Homme was more than evident. Their latest album Suck It and See
Suck It and See
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick...
sees the band exploring different styles, mixing them with newfound maturity. Alex Turner said: "I think the new album is a balance between our first three. There's nothing about taxi ranks or anything like that, but there's a bit of the standpoint I had on those early songs and the sense of humour, but also there's a bit of the 'Humbug' stuff which is kind of off in the corners."
Band members
- Alex TurnerAlex Turner (musician)Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
/rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(2002–present) - Jamie CookJamie CookJamie Robert Cook is the lead guitarist for the British indie rock band Arctic Monkeys.He is the most outspoken member, going on record as saying he "fucking hates the [print] news" and defending the band's numerous successive records by saying, "I couldn’t see us being like Coldplay, it’d just be...
– rhythm guitar/lead guitar, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(2002–present) - Matt HeldersMatt HeldersMatthew Helders , is the drummer for English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. He is the most comprehensive backing vocalist in the group, appearing on several tracks, including the majority of 'Humbug'...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, backing vocals,(2002–present) - Nick O'MalleyNick O'MalleyNicholas O'Malley , is the bass guitarist of Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys.- Biography :O'Malley was drafted in as a temporary replacement for bassist Andy Nicholson when the latter announced he would not make the band's North America tour in May 2006...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (2006–present)
Session and touring musicians:
- John Ashton – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2006–2011)
Former members:
- Andy Nicholson – bass guitar (2002–2006)
- Glyn Jones – vocals, rhythm guitar (2002)
Discography
- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
(2006) - Favourite Worst NightmareFavourite Worst NightmareFavourite Worst Nightmare is the second studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys that was first released in Japan on 18 April 2007 before being released around the world. Recorded in east London's Miloco Studios with producers James Ford and Mike Crossey, the album was preceded by the...
(2007) - HumbugHumbug (album)Humbug has received major critical acclaim, with many praising the band's newfound maturity. Billboard stated that the band "justif[ies] the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes," while The Record Review noted that with Humbug, the Arctic Monkeys proved...
(2009) - Suck It and SeeSuck It and SeeSuck It and See is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released 6 June 2011 in the UK and 7 June in the US, following their 2011 North American tour. The band worked with producer James Ford on this album and promised a more "vintage" style. The music video for "Brick...
(2011)
Tour history
- Whatever People Say I Am Tour (2005–2006)
- Favourite Worst Nightmare Tour (2007)
- Humbug TourHumbug TourThe Humbug Tour was a world concert tour by British Indie rock band Arctic Monkeys in support of their third studio album, Humbug. Although Humbug was not released until 25 August 2009, the tour started with a series of shows in Australia and New Zealand in the January of that year. Following this...
(2009–2010) - Suck It and See TourSuck It and See TourSuck It and See Tour is an ongoing worldwide concert tour by English band Arctic Monkeys in support of their chart-topping, fourth studio album Suck It and See....
(2011–2012)