Monday, 23 April 2007
Friday, 13 April 2007
Arctics Back...but is the new album any good?
Well the Arctic Monkeys were back in London last night, playing at one of the capital's best venues, the endangered Astoria. Oh, click here to sign a petition to save this classic venue.
It's small, with a capacity of 2000, so seeing the Arctic Monkeys there was a real treat.
Supporting werre Little Flames, another Sheffield band with a singer who looks a little like Kate Moss, from a distance anyway. They sounded good to me, rocking, but the crowd, having got tickets to the gig by being on the Arctic Monkeys' mailing list, were not here to see anyone else.
Well the Arctics themselves...god I know they refuse to play the rock n' roll circus game, but they really could make a bit more effort with their appearance, I mean the drummer was wearing trackie bottoms!
Impressive lights though as Alex Turner spat If You Found This It's Probably Too Late like a true MC.
Then it was new single Brianstorm which got the crowd going. Wonder why they released that off the album, it is one of the weaker tracks in my opinion, and my least favourist Arctics single, but live it fairly rocked.
I'd read in a review of the Southampton gig that there were a few awkward silences when Alex stopped mid song for the crowd to shout back the words, and this happened last night during Still Take You Home. This Independent review blamed it on lazy gig-goers. I think that's unfair, the real problem is these songs are 12 months old. I could have recited every word of every song a year ago, but give us a break Alex, it's been 12 months of hedonistic living since then and they aren't the easiest words to shout back...You're a Top Shop Princess and a...no it's gone.
Of the new songs Balaclava has a fantastic opening and shifts gear between verse and chorus brilliantly, and Teddy Picker is another great song. Proper loud tune.
We were then hit with a double whammy of classics - Mardy Bum, one of the loveliest songs ever written, a modern-day Wonderwall, got a great reception. Then Fake Tales of San Fransisco - well the crowd could certainly remember the words to that. Get off the bandwagon, put down the anvil yeah!
They finished with Leave Before The Lights Come On, which is all anticipation before the chorus kicks in, and A Certain Romance, which just makes you dance plain and simple. Calypso, reggae, ska, whatever you want to call it the music and lyrics do it for me.
My only complaints? Not enough slowies. To be bombarded by such high-tempo songs for an hour and a half, well you need a bit of variety I think. Riot Van would do it. Or they could really have stuck Only one Who Knows of the new album in there. their tender moments are under-rated and they shouldn't run away from them.
But all in all? Great gig. 9/10
It's small, with a capacity of 2000, so seeing the Arctic Monkeys there was a real treat.
Supporting werre Little Flames, another Sheffield band with a singer who looks a little like Kate Moss, from a distance anyway. They sounded good to me, rocking, but the crowd, having got tickets to the gig by being on the Arctic Monkeys' mailing list, were not here to see anyone else.
Well the Arctics themselves...god I know they refuse to play the rock n' roll circus game, but they really could make a bit more effort with their appearance, I mean the drummer was wearing trackie bottoms!
Impressive lights though as Alex Turner spat If You Found This It's Probably Too Late like a true MC.
Then it was new single Brianstorm which got the crowd going. Wonder why they released that off the album, it is one of the weaker tracks in my opinion, and my least favourist Arctics single, but live it fairly rocked.
I'd read in a review of the Southampton gig that there were a few awkward silences when Alex stopped mid song for the crowd to shout back the words, and this happened last night during Still Take You Home. This Independent review blamed it on lazy gig-goers. I think that's unfair, the real problem is these songs are 12 months old. I could have recited every word of every song a year ago, but give us a break Alex, it's been 12 months of hedonistic living since then and they aren't the easiest words to shout back...You're a Top Shop Princess and a...no it's gone.
Of the new songs Balaclava has a fantastic opening and shifts gear between verse and chorus brilliantly, and Teddy Picker is another great song. Proper loud tune.
We were then hit with a double whammy of classics - Mardy Bum, one of the loveliest songs ever written, a modern-day Wonderwall, got a great reception. Then Fake Tales of San Fransisco - well the crowd could certainly remember the words to that. Get off the bandwagon, put down the anvil yeah!
They finished with Leave Before The Lights Come On, which is all anticipation before the chorus kicks in, and A Certain Romance, which just makes you dance plain and simple. Calypso, reggae, ska, whatever you want to call it the music and lyrics do it for me.
My only complaints? Not enough slowies. To be bombarded by such high-tempo songs for an hour and a half, well you need a bit of variety I think. Riot Van would do it. Or they could really have stuck Only one Who Knows of the new album in there. their tender moments are under-rated and they shouldn't run away from them.
But all in all? Great gig. 9/10
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