When you see a band that just knows they’re good, when you watch them create something special on stage, you can just feel it.
Arctic Monkeys are that kind of band. They’re good. And they know it. But with good reason.
They’ve spent years honing their craft, moving through evolutions of their sound and their earlier songs still stand up against their new work. Seemingly without trying.
Fans have been divided though, some mourning the old days and unable to connect with their new sound. But seeing the mix of old and new songs and it all makes sense.
It’s been a long time between Australian appearances for these lads but the wait was worth it.
The crowd (3 March at Brisbane Entertainment Centre) were primed long before they came on stage, the venue filled with anticipation (but in that cool, laid-back, rock & roll kind of way). That is until Alex Turner strolled onto stage and people started screaming.
Image © Kalem Horn
The frontman of a band is always the focus, at least until you get to know the personalities of the rest of the musicians.
Click here for more photos from the show.
But with Arctic Monkeys, Alex has stayed the favourite – and there are a few reasons. He’s got something indescribable; a kind of energy that’s electric and powerful, and primal that sits just below the surface. Without him seeming to do much at all.
And then there’s his voice. Raw, sweet, sexy, distinctive, deep. Oh so deep. Add that to a slew of evocative, witty and thoughtful lyrics and you’ve got songs that won’t leave your head, no matter what else you try to replace them with.
The stage set-up was fantastic – it looked like a '70s sound recording studio crossed with a hedonistic lounge bar – complete with a giant hexagonal moving light that hovered over the band, beaming golden rays down onto the stage.
Image © Kalem Horn
The band were flanked by huge tv screens, showing video footage of the show as it played out before our eyes – but with a gritty filter effect making it seem like we were watching a roll of vintage footage.
The boys, with a couple of additional support musicians, were all dressed in jackets and jeans, except Alex who strutted about the stage in a billowing gold shirt, collarless and resplendent with a thick silver necklace.
Between them all, there was someone on drums, bass, guitar, piano and tambourine - with places being switched a few times as different musicians played different instruments.
With minimal chatting, the band moved from song to song with barely a break, seamlessly swinging between old rock tracks to their new album offerings, often barely looking at the crowd while performing.
You might think that this could make the audience feel unimportant and excluded. But it seemed to have the reverse affect, making us feel like we were watching a secret jam session that no one would normally have access to.
Image © Kalem Horn
The waves of sound that rolled off the stage were exactly how a rock band should sound like: booming, sweaty, slick guitar slides, sharp drum beats, dreamy reverb and a relentless sexual tension.
In the blink of an eye, the set was over and the boys exited the stage but were back in for their encore, lifted back on to the stage by a screaming, clapping wall of excitement. Sashaying and swaying across the stage, Alex is the epitome of cool, with that blend of boyishness and sex cult leader – he’s a mesmerising mix that can’t help but pull all your focus.
But a frontman isn’t a band and it’s the foursome that make it magical. Together, the four of them are evocative and edgy, and bring that something special talent scouts are always seeking. Whatever 'that' is.
And they’ve had it from the beginning but over time; it’s become stronger, deeper, more mesmerising and now, you can’t look away. Even if you want to. Because something is happening on stage, something is being conjured and created and calibrated to hit you hard.
Image © Kalem Horn
And that’s what you want music to do to you – take you somewhere, feel something bigger than the everyday, transport you to places you can only imagine in the depths of your soul.
And you want the music to make you move. By the looks of the crowd that were all on their feet by the end of the show – Arctic Monkeys are experts at that.
