Arctic Monkey See, Arctic Monkeys Rock!!
Saturday nights in Glasgow are not renowned for being the calmest times in the city, but the Arctic Monkeys show was something extraordinary. From the opening strains of the intro tape, the crowd was pogoing as if their young, sweaty lives depended on it. For a band with less than a handful of releases, to have the audience take over vocal duties on a number of tracks was extraordinary. Clearly, the Arctic Monkeys are the latest act to instil such undying loyalty in their support and will ride to chart notoriety like The Libertines before them.
The music itself is reminiscent of 1960s mod music with the emphasis on dancing and moving. The majority of the songs are upbeat with wiry guitar rhythms and bass lines providing the main points of the music. A modern comparison would be a more frenetic, singular paced Franz Ferdinand but the Arctic Monkeys have more than enough charm, wit and music to stand on their own merits.
Lead vocalist Alex Turner offered some good crowd interaction, reminding the audience not to peak too early and to keep their excitement going for the whole show. Not that there was any chance of the crowd flagging. When favourite 'Scummy' was played, King Tuts exploded and Turner realised there was no need for him to sing with the crowd doing that job admirably well.
Nearing the end of the set there was a feeling that the material on show was a bit similar, all following the similar intro, fast riff, and clever lyrics pattern. Not to say the songs weren't of a high quality but the few quieter or slower songs of the evening provided a good contrast to the otherwise relentless pace. However, 'Fake Tales of San Fransisco' sounded excellent and it could have received repeated plays without becoming boring.
With an album not expected until next year, there should hopefully be time to catch this band in their infancy but there may not be the chance to see them in a venue of this size again. If the songs get the opportunity to develop, it's clear that the Arctic Monkeys could be one of the major acts of next year.