Thousands of thirsty young ears gathered to drink from the Arctic Monkeys at Brisbane's The Riverstage last night (11 January).
Despite the midweek slot, there was indeed a mirrorball on stage, set to stun by Old Grey Whistle Test lights against a velvet curtain.Strolling out to Barry White's 'I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby', one might have expected Arctic Monkeys to commence with one of their more intimate, sultry new tracks. One would have been wrong.
The band tore into 'The View From The Afternoon' at breakneck speed, kicking down the door and sealing all exits with the message: "Forget what you've come to expect."
Image © Harrison Innes
In the time between the thundering snarl that is 'Brianstorm' and the swanky stomp of 'Snap Out Of It’, the core four Arctic Monkeys were joined by an exceptionally well-dressed skeleton crew with additional guitars, keyboards, and percussion.
This expanded ensemble marked the set's journey into more ambitious territory, heralding the Josh Homme-produced classic 'Crying Lightning'. A dark, fiery red shrouded the stage, a demon glow fit for the track's sinister riffs and evil ideations.
"And though I tried so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction, there was no cracks to grasp or gaps to claw."
Image © Harrison Innes
It was a true spectacle to witness a sea of teen fans singing along to quick-witted convolutions, which were released in their infancy, bearing significant hope for the new generation.
This was the band in peak form, with drummer Matt Helders' stuttering triplets dancing dangerously against bassist Nick O’Malley's slithering bassline.
Where the group's first albums were lauded for being tightly influenced by contemporary guitar bands, Arctic Monkeys have embraced '60s and '70s rock flavours from 'Humbug' onward. Onstage, Alex Turner embodies the rock & roll tropes of yore with a wink and a nudge – at once melodramatic, good humoured, sharp, and bemused.
Image © Harrison Innes
Such theatrics were nowhere more at home than when set to 'Sculptures Of Anything Goes', the first track performed from 2022's 'The Car'. A canvas bathed in droning synths and unforgettable melodies, this is new territory for Arctic Monkeys in every respect.
"The simulation cartridge for City Life '09 is pretty tricky to come by. Village coffee mornings with not long since retired spies – now that's my idea of a good time. Flash that angle grinder smile – gasp and roll your eyes."
Elsewhere in the set, the band closed their performance of with hit single 'Arabella' with a nod to Black Sabbath, guitarist Jamie Cook directly acknowledging the unmistakable influence of the iconic 'War Pigs' riff.
Some have remarked that the lyrical content is more personal and less detached on 'The Car' compared to prior works. But Alex has always wrapped his mindsets in riddles and knots, and the gory palate of 'Pretty Visitors' fuzzy puzzle reveals shadowy personal truths.
A literato of ephemera, Alex hissed poisonous lyrical prowess at his reptile vivarium, a charmer spitting venom at a writhing mass of snakes. "All the pretty visitors came and waved their arms and cast the shadow of a snake pit on the wall."
While the energy of tracks from third record 'Humbug' and onward bleed naturally into his more contemplative newfound sensibilities as a performer, Turner still effortlessly flicks the switch back and forth into the scruffy up-tempo energy of their earliest eras.
Image © Harrison Innes
Nightmare disco belter 'Teddy Picker' kicked off a triple threat sojourn in the early years, followed by 'From The Ritz To The Rubble' and the banger that started it all, 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'.
Modern masterpiece 'Body Paint' followed, a powerful tug on the heartstrings with allusions to workplace trysts and deeply personal traumas. Drummer and Monkeys bedrock Helders delivered a thrashing solo of rollicking fills under the bittersweet progression, closing the main set.
For their first encore, the group gifted the privilege of a live debut with 'Big Ideas'. "I had big ideas; the band were so excited – the kind you'd rather not share over the phone. But now the orchestra's got us all surrounded, and I cannot for the life of me remember how they go."
This is Alex Turner at his least opaque, his most personally literal. There's a direct and perhaps unconscious connection here with the 'One Point Perspective' refrain: ". . . I've played to quiet rooms like this before. Bear with me man, I lost my train of thought."
Arctic Monkeys seldom repeat themselves in terms of neither aesthetic nor sound, but there is some undeniable continuity between 2018's 'Tranquility Base Hotel And Casino' and 2022's 'The Car'.
Image © Harrison Innes
With that, Riverstage concertgoers were treated to not only one but two utter delicacies in the Arctic Monkeys' oeuvre, both an old and a new rarity bookending the set. Well, not quite.
As a parting gift, fans were served up the vermouth kicker of '505', before washing it down with the hard swig of Patrón that is 'R U Mine'.
Considered in tandem with the arc of sibling project The Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys' evolution into retro futurism is par for the course. They have come to encapsulate what dreamers in the '70s envisioned of the future – tasteful mid-century fashion anchoring such ambitious phenomena at warp speed, emotional vitamin supplements, and interstellar taquerias.
While we wait for humanities' aesthetic and social sensibilities to catch up, Arctic Monkeys will remain our generation's last true champions of a sleeping culture.
With his 2014 Brit Award acceptance speech, Alex Turner said it best himself: 'That rock & roll, eh? That rock & roll, it just won't go away. . . It seems like it's faded away sometimes, but it will never die. And there's nothing you can do about it."
More photos from the show.
