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Over the course of three albums Sheffield based indie
band Arctic Monkeys have seamlessly made the
jump from enthusiastic adolescents to one of the best
acts in a long time. This hysteria seems unjust for
a band in their early 20’s, and must earn a fair bit
of jealousy from other musicians that have taken a multitude
of albums and tours to gain such control. Turner and
Co must be on the right track for place in the music
hall of fame if they can continue to perform with the
confidence and finesse seen tonight by a sold out Wembley
Arena.
Wembley’s early birds were treated to a support slot
by Eagles of Death Metal, a band who although
are no strangers to the ways of touring are still relatively
unknown in the UK, but I’m sure performances like this
opening for Arctic Monkeys won’t damage their reputation.
Performing from a stripped back and basic stage set-up,
which has become somewhat of a trademark for this band,
Arctic Monkeys strolled into a melodic version of third
album track ‘Dance Little Liar’ before the curtains
had even been opened. A lengthy set drew songs from
all three albums, and encompassed all the usual hits
with constant back-up singing from this packed out crowd.
Energetic renditions of ‘Brianstorm’ and ‘I Bet You
Look Good on the Dancefloor’ wouldn’t be the same without
10,000 eager music fans mimicking Alex Turner’s every
lyric, but new album ‘Humbug’ produced no shortage of
aping too, the crowd reacting with much the same enthusiasm
to hot off the fire classics like ‘Cornerstone’ and
the snake-charming, spirit-raising ‘Pretty Visitors’.
Wembley arena was then turned into a winter wonderland
for a drawn out version of ‘Do Me a Favour’ as the audience
was showered in a blanket of gold confetti and Turner
prowled the stage. The customary encore saw them perform
a medley of fan favourite tracks ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’
and ‘Mardy Bum’ which turned this spacious London arena
into carnival of excitement. All this energy and stimulation
was then brought to a relaxed close with a leisurely
version of ’505’ ending the gig.
If tonight’s Wembley gig proved only one thing, it
was that this mature and far more serious version of
the Arctic Monkeys will be around for many years to
come ...
more info:
http://www.arcticmonkeys.com
Report ~ Tom Collins for Crud Magazine 2009©
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