NEWS
EVENTS
Arctic Monkeys @ Glastonbury 2013 (Review)
Indie | Thursday 4th July 2013 | James
"The nights were made for saying things you can't say tomorrow day" croons Arctic Monkeys torchbearer, sometime pin-up and young Richard Hawley look-a-like Alex Turner on the Sheffield band's latest single 'Do I Wanna Know?' (which went in at the charts at number 11 making it the highest charting Monkeys single since 'Fluorescent Adolescent' six years ago). It proves that the band have come an awful long way since their pivotal and omnipresent debut album told tales of regretting drunken chats the night before, girls at the taxi rank and hen parties.
When the Monkeys last graced the Pyramid Stage in 2007 they were an unready and underdeveloped headline act. Despite a raucous duet with Dizzee Rascal and an atmospheric ode to Shirley Bassey, the Monkeys came across as stagnant and utterly unperturbed by the whole affair. It's not surprising, really. This is a band who have always done things their own way: from not turning up to the BRIT Awards to collect their awards to performing their maligned third album Humbug in full at 2009's Reading & Leeds Festivals despite the record not actually being out in record stores yet. They've always been ever so slightly contrary, setting industry tongues wagging with youthful winks all those years ago and, nowadays, it just takes a comb of Alex's greaser quiff to get the band pages in the NME.
In the two years since they've been gone, however, Arctic Monkeys seem to have - against all odds - embraced their inner rock star. If the swaggering, sultry and groovy sexiness of 'Do I Wanna Know?' didn't win you over, the sight of Alex clad in a sparkly grey suit and precisely coiffed haircut sure will. Having picked the DJ's playlist for before their slot (consisting of crowd-pleasing hits from George Harrison, John Lennon and Oasis), the band seem to have become comfortable with impressing people. For years, their debut record was a thing of embarrassment to the band. They were merely four teenage boys thrust into gossip columns and tabloid rumour, with guitarist Jamie Cooke earnestly replying "probably become a butcher" to the question "what would you do without music?" on Soccer AM. The band famously retreated to the desert in 2009 where they grew their hair and discovered the paeans of weed - but they were still mightily uncomfortable. Tonight there are no such issues.
The stomp of 'Brianstorm' merges effortlessly into a nostalgic rendition of 'Dancing Shoes' before Alex shows how his on-stage banter has effortlessly grown. "It's Friday night, we're gunna play all night long" the frontman teases in his best Elvis impression before Suck It and See lead single 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'. There are outings for various Monkeys hits - 'Teddy Picker' and 'Crying Lightning' proving the band's diversity and ability - before the band have some fun with drummer Matt Helders taking the microphone for the riotous 'Brick By Brick'.
Mick Jagger was watching in the wings and he better have had a notepad, because Turner was giving a free lesson in how to own a Glastonbury crowd. It was effortless, romantic, nostalgic and free - the sight of a band who are at the zenith of their popularity and they know it. They looked utterly at ease throughout the night, with Turner suitably loose - none more so than on crowd favourite 'Pretty Visitors' which displayed why Helders is the finest hard-hitting drummer of his generation. "To all the blokes who were too cool to wave their hands during the 'Pretty Visitors' chorus, this is for your girlfriends. Ladies!..." Turner cries before a huge rendition of that song.
Their performance at the Olympic Opening Ceremony was delightful, but this was something else entirely. Huge movement ensued and, for seconds at least, it seemed as if Arctic Monkeys were delivering a seminal Glastonbury moment. "Dreams of naughtiness" Turner spat before 'Do Me A Favour' wound things down slightly before the crescendo at the finale made way to Turner declaring his love for the festival. "I'm yours, Glastonbury, but the question is...are you mine?" the Yorkshireman said before 'R U Mine?' was played live in the UK for the first ever time.
There were occasional hiccups. 'Mad Sounds' (another new track) sounded glorious but would have been better replaced with another one of the band's sterling hits, whilst 'She's Thunderstorms' was slightly pedestrian for a gig of this magnitude. Turner's accent, too, was bizarre and led to a wave of criticisms on social networking sites (Turner has since stated it "wasn't intentional"). It didn't matter, though. Turner is the only frontman in rock today to have the gall, nerve, audacity and sheer cool to stop midway through a song to comb his hair. This is Glastonbury. Stadium sized giants like U2 had failed on this stage, but here were four lads from the Steel City delivering hundreds of reasons why they are as every bit impressive as the British rock icons of years gone by.
Of the crux of the early-00s garage rock revival bands, most (The White Stripes, Razorlight) have imploded or else not been able to match their incredibly high early standards (The Strokes, Kings of Leon, Franz Ferdinand) but where the Monkeys have always succeeded is keeping people guessing. From shifting their sound from album to album - sometimes even song to song - the band have always found themselves calling the shots on their career and having the unique ability to be able to demonstrate various and robust pieces of work. Tonight they are proving that they have just as many tunes as The Stones.
'A Certain Romance' is beautifully placed at the end of the setlist and provides a rare moment of appreciation from a band often portrayed as nonchalant and awkward. The fact is, they know how much that song and that record means to people. Without many people in the flag-laden crowd, Jamie Cook may well have been holding a meat cleaver rather than an electric guitar in his hand each day. 'Cornerstone' is the finest track the band have written since 2006 and is suitably romantic tonight, with Turner telling the crowd to "pipe down" after playing a few chords from Coldplay's 'Yellow'.
"Do you wanna hear an old Monkeys tune, everybody?" asks Turner before Jamie Cook displays his brilliance on guitar on a rare outing of 'Mardy Bum' before 'When The Sun Goes Down' proves a colossal sing-along. Miles Kane, who somehow manages to make pyjamas look cool, joins the band for routine set closer '505'. Kane correctly departs first and allows his best friends to have their moment. Flares are lit and flags (one featuring Alex Turner's face) waved as the band hug and blow kisses to the crowd. Jamie Cook fist pumps the air. They know they may have delivered the definitive gig of their career tonight. Sure, they will probably return in a few years to headline for a third time. Sure, they'll probably play Wembley Stadium one day. But, tonight the musical gods have aligned the stars to give this band this famous show at just the right time.
Like Pulp and Radiohead before them, Arctic Monkeys have strolled into their Glastonbury headline set at their absolute creative and performing peak. Showmanship at its finest, tonight is a gig so seismic and seminal that it will only allow its true success to be measured in the years to come. For tonight, at least, the band can rest easy in the knowledge that their public will always adore them. Alex Turner knows full well that his public will always come "crawling back" to him.
By James Rodger @jamesdrodger
