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Arctic Monkeys Biography
...and so here we are, footprints on the ceiling and screaming the words in each others faces, sharing in it like a party we might have hoped it could have been had we closed our eyes and dreamed hard enough on the bus on the way into town. An Arctic Monkey or four screaming at I the Rev Rarsclart, eyes bulging, faces red with the joy of it all. London, Glasgow, Wakefield wherever...
And the people who have shared it. Those who felt some connection with getting on their Dancing Shoes, a Mardy Bum or Scummy Man or something. There's these moments on which it all turns. I have two or three, London, a French Kiss in the Chaos. Maybe even a full house and not Al, as lead singer. You might have others where you first felt something stir in your belly. Or you might be reading all this and this is your first taste if the whole thing. Not that it should ever be exclusive, like a club or anything nasty like that, or a commodity. Like a big mac meal or something. It‚s more. Its everyman and for I, that is the point of it all, the message and the romance. For as we approach yet more forks in the road, bear left or turn right I hope that may continue.
Cos‚ after all what is it if not an adventure? Like getting on a bus to the other end of town and your not really sure where it goes but you get on anyway. As I started out the Arctic's four screaming faces, spoke to the people who had traveled for eight hours in a micra, or as I tried to sleep, listening out of the window at some drunken lads singing dancing shoes at four in the morning, it dawned on me that there are no leaders in all this or no plan or scheme, other than what's unfolding. People understanding it, relating to it, not relating to it but dancing to it, whatever. Everythings happened yet nothings really happened at all. Why set flags in the sand, it could all end tomorrow and it be back to the local and the chippy afterwards, or it could run and run and run to places unknown. Dreams and schemes and bla bla bla. But the reasons it started are as pure today as they ever were and that's gotta be a damm sight better then formed a band, drank some JD, took some drugs, had some birds or whatevers cool these days. All thats left to say is, welcome to anyone and long live it all say...
Ta for reading
The Rev Jon Rarsclart
And the people who have shared it. Those who felt some connection with getting on their Dancing Shoes, a Mardy Bum or Scummy Man or something. There's these moments on which it all turns. I have two or three, London, a French Kiss in the Chaos. Maybe even a full house and not Al, as lead singer. You might have others where you first felt something stir in your belly. Or you might be reading all this and this is your first taste if the whole thing. Not that it should ever be exclusive, like a club or anything nasty like that, or a commodity. Like a big mac meal or something. It‚s more. Its everyman and for I, that is the point of it all, the message and the romance. For as we approach yet more forks in the road, bear left or turn right I hope that may continue.
Cos‚ after all what is it if not an adventure? Like getting on a bus to the other end of town and your not really sure where it goes but you get on anyway. As I started out the Arctic's four screaming faces, spoke to the people who had traveled for eight hours in a micra, or as I tried to sleep, listening out of the window at some drunken lads singing dancing shoes at four in the morning, it dawned on me that there are no leaders in all this or no plan or scheme, other than what's unfolding. People understanding it, relating to it, not relating to it but dancing to it, whatever. Everythings happened yet nothings really happened at all. Why set flags in the sand, it could all end tomorrow and it be back to the local and the chippy afterwards, or it could run and run and run to places unknown. Dreams and schemes and bla bla bla. But the reasons it started are as pure today as they ever were and that's gotta be a damm sight better then formed a band, drank some JD, took some drugs, had some birds or whatevers cool these days. All thats left to say is, welcome to anyone and long live it all say...
Ta for reading
The Rev Jon Rarsclart
Arctic Monkeys All Music Guide Biography
By distilling the sounds of Franz Ferdinand, the Clash, the Strokes, and the Libertines into a hybrid of swaggering indie rock and danceable neo-punk, the Arctic Monkeys became one of the U.K.'s biggest bands of the new millennium. Their meteoric rise began in 2005, when the teenaged bandmates fielded offers from major labels and drew a sold-out crowd to the London Astoria, using little more than a self-released EP as bait. Several months later, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest-selling debut album in British history, entrenching the Arctic Monkeys in the same circle as multi-platinum acts like Oasis and Blur.
Frontman Alex Turner and guitarist Jamie Cook began their music careers in 2001, when the friends both received guitars for Christmas. Two years later, they began performing shows around their native Sheffield with drummer Matt Helders and bassist Andy Nicholson, two fellow students at Stocksbridge High School. A series of demo recordings followed, and the Arctic Monkeys' audience swelled as fans circulated those recordings via the Internet. The musicians soon found themselves at the center of a growing media circus, with such outlets as BBC Radio examining the band's music and mounting hype.
By distributing their homemade material on the Internet, the Arctic Monkeys were able to build a rabid fan base without the help of a record label, effectively circumventing the usual road to superstardom. They continued to buck tradition by signing with Domino Records in 2005, eschewing a major label's help for Domino's D.I.Y. mentality and hip roster (which also included Franz Ferdinand, a touchstone for the band's sound). The smart moves paid off as the Arctic Monkeys' first two singles -- "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down" -- both topped the U.K. charts. Critical reception was similarly favorable, but few could have predicted the whirlwind success of the band's debut album, which ousted Oasis' Definitely Maybe as the fastest-selling debut in British history (a record that was lost one year later to Leona Lewis' Spirit). Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not sold 363,735 copies during its first week alone, transforming the Arctic Monkeys from underground stars into mainstream figures.
The Arctic Monkeys' debut sold approximately 300,000 total copies in America -- enough to warrant more media coverage, but notably less than the album's British sales during its first week alone. Nevertheless, the band's success continued as they released a spring EP, Who the F**k Are Arctic Monkeys, and prepared for a stateside tour. Temporary bassist Nick O'Malley was brought aboard for the band's American shows, while a fatigued Nicholson stayed at home. Nicholson then announced his official departure when the band returned home in June 2006, and O'Malley remained with the Arctic Monkeys as a permanent member. That fall, the musicians received the 2006 Mercury Prize and donated the accompanying money to an undisclosed charity. Additional accolades included Best British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards and Best New Band at the NME Awards. NME also made a bold assertion by deeming the band's debut one of the Top Five British albums ever released.
Released in April 2007, Favourite Worst Nightmare updated the the Arctic Monkeys' sound with louder instruments and faster tempos. The bandmates had recorded the sophomore album quickly, wishing to return to the road as soon as possible, and the speedy turnaround between records only helped solidify the band's popularity at home. Favourite Worst Nightmare sold 85,000 copies during its first day of release, while all 12 tracks entered the Top 200 of the U.K. singles charts. As Alex Turner briefly turned his attention to a side project, the Last Shadow Puppets, the Arctic Monkeys received another Mercury Prize nomination and took home two titles at the 2008 Brit Awards.
Recording sessions for a third album commenced in early 2008 and lasted throughout the year. Meanwhile, the band released a concert album entitled Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo -- with accompanying video footage captured on 35mm film -- to maintain their prolific pace. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
Frontman Alex Turner and guitarist Jamie Cook began their music careers in 2001, when the friends both received guitars for Christmas. Two years later, they began performing shows around their native Sheffield with drummer Matt Helders and bassist Andy Nicholson, two fellow students at Stocksbridge High School. A series of demo recordings followed, and the Arctic Monkeys' audience swelled as fans circulated those recordings via the Internet. The musicians soon found themselves at the center of a growing media circus, with such outlets as BBC Radio examining the band's music and mounting hype.
By distributing their homemade material on the Internet, the Arctic Monkeys were able to build a rabid fan base without the help of a record label, effectively circumventing the usual road to superstardom. They continued to buck tradition by signing with Domino Records in 2005, eschewing a major label's help for Domino's D.I.Y. mentality and hip roster (which also included Franz Ferdinand, a touchstone for the band's sound). The smart moves paid off as the Arctic Monkeys' first two singles -- "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down" -- both topped the U.K. charts. Critical reception was similarly favorable, but few could have predicted the whirlwind success of the band's debut album, which ousted Oasis' Definitely Maybe as the fastest-selling debut in British history (a record that was lost one year later to Leona Lewis' Spirit). Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not sold 363,735 copies during its first week alone, transforming the Arctic Monkeys from underground stars into mainstream figures.
The Arctic Monkeys' debut sold approximately 300,000 total copies in America -- enough to warrant more media coverage, but notably less than the album's British sales during its first week alone. Nevertheless, the band's success continued as they released a spring EP, Who the F**k Are Arctic Monkeys, and prepared for a stateside tour. Temporary bassist Nick O'Malley was brought aboard for the band's American shows, while a fatigued Nicholson stayed at home. Nicholson then announced his official departure when the band returned home in June 2006, and O'Malley remained with the Arctic Monkeys as a permanent member. That fall, the musicians received the 2006 Mercury Prize and donated the accompanying money to an undisclosed charity. Additional accolades included Best British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards and Best New Band at the NME Awards. NME also made a bold assertion by deeming the band's debut one of the Top Five British albums ever released.
Released in April 2007, Favourite Worst Nightmare updated the the Arctic Monkeys' sound with louder instruments and faster tempos. The bandmates had recorded the sophomore album quickly, wishing to return to the road as soon as possible, and the speedy turnaround between records only helped solidify the band's popularity at home. Favourite Worst Nightmare sold 85,000 copies during its first day of release, while all 12 tracks entered the Top 200 of the U.K. singles charts. As Alex Turner briefly turned his attention to a side project, the Last Shadow Puppets, the Arctic Monkeys received another Mercury Prize nomination and took home two titles at the 2008 Brit Awards.
Recording sessions for a third album commenced in early 2008 and lasted throughout the year. Meanwhile, the band released a concert album entitled Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo -- with accompanying video footage captured on 35mm film -- to maintain their prolific pace. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
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