_Arctic Monkeys @ The Palace, Melbourne (02/01/2012)
_The last time Arctic Monkeys were in Australia, they were kicking up a storm on the 2009 Big Day Out circuit in support of their debut and sophomore efforts. Now, it's 2012 and Arctic Monkeys have four equally different, yet nonetheless electrifying albums under their belts. With a huge catalogue of tunes and a bigger fan base, Melbourne’s Palace Theatre played host for their most intimate Australian show yet.
Arctic Monkeys persona as a band has gone through a transformation over the years. While the music has evolved and been challenged with each release (particularly Humbug), the overall charm found within their lyrics and style has been retained, much to the praise of fans. The real question is; does the charisma translate over through a live show?
The bands recent material has allowed them to explore their musical capabilities in an almost experimental way. While the quirky lads with a penchant for indie pop rock are inside somewhere, the exterior portrays are a band who continue to defy their own critics expectations and a gives a stark contrast to the band I saw at Big Day Out in 2009. Arctic Monkeys are all grown up.
Wasting no time at all, the lads stroll on stage and jump straight into Suck It And See’s lead single, Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair. Professionally, the band are all class, leaving no time between songs. Teddy Picker and Crying Lightning followed in fine form while Brianstorm and Library Pictures were early highlights.
Arctic Monkeys knows their strengths, playing through a set that touched on each albums material almost equally. I Bet That You Looked Good On The Dancefloor saw the crowd explode into a frenzy of what could only be described as eclectic mosh-grooves; while Still Take You Home was a nostalgic treat. Alex Turner’s witty stage banter took a mild back seat tonight, though this didn't stop him from cheering out a few "Melbournes!" mid way through the set. Miles Kane, Alex's The Last Shadow Puppets band mate (and the nights support artist) made a guest appearance onstage for a performance of Little Illusion Machine (Wirral Riddler), a The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala B-Side which he features on.
Unfortunately Humbug was the runt of the litter, only supplying two songs to the setlist with the absurdly brilliant Pretty Visitors and Crying Lightning. Pretty Visitors actually became one of the genuine highlights of the night with Alex Turner singing at a pace the crowd struggled to compete with. Turner recently claimed that he doesn’t think that an Arctic Monkeys live show is something you can sing along to, but the fans at the Palace seem to disagree. They give it their all and sing their little hearts out just to let the band know we hear them loud and clear as the main set closes with When The Sun Goes Down.
Returning for the encore, Arctic Monkeys perform title track Suck It And See (dedicated to the girls) and the masterful Fluorescent Adolescent (again, dedicated to the girls) before welcoming Miles Kane back on stage for guitar duties during 505, the build up of which is the perfect curtain-closing finale for the night.
Despite a few key tracks omitted from their set lists of late, Arctic Monkeys know exactly how to play their strengths during a live show, never once allowing for a dull moment to sneak its way into the performance that has kicked off 2012 in very fine form.
Luke Sutton
Arctic Monkeys persona as a band has gone through a transformation over the years. While the music has evolved and been challenged with each release (particularly Humbug), the overall charm found within their lyrics and style has been retained, much to the praise of fans. The real question is; does the charisma translate over through a live show?
The bands recent material has allowed them to explore their musical capabilities in an almost experimental way. While the quirky lads with a penchant for indie pop rock are inside somewhere, the exterior portrays are a band who continue to defy their own critics expectations and a gives a stark contrast to the band I saw at Big Day Out in 2009. Arctic Monkeys are all grown up.
Wasting no time at all, the lads stroll on stage and jump straight into Suck It And See’s lead single, Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair. Professionally, the band are all class, leaving no time between songs. Teddy Picker and Crying Lightning followed in fine form while Brianstorm and Library Pictures were early highlights.
Arctic Monkeys knows their strengths, playing through a set that touched on each albums material almost equally. I Bet That You Looked Good On The Dancefloor saw the crowd explode into a frenzy of what could only be described as eclectic mosh-grooves; while Still Take You Home was a nostalgic treat. Alex Turner’s witty stage banter took a mild back seat tonight, though this didn't stop him from cheering out a few "Melbournes!" mid way through the set. Miles Kane, Alex's The Last Shadow Puppets band mate (and the nights support artist) made a guest appearance onstage for a performance of Little Illusion Machine (Wirral Riddler), a The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala B-Side which he features on.
Unfortunately Humbug was the runt of the litter, only supplying two songs to the setlist with the absurdly brilliant Pretty Visitors and Crying Lightning. Pretty Visitors actually became one of the genuine highlights of the night with Alex Turner singing at a pace the crowd struggled to compete with. Turner recently claimed that he doesn’t think that an Arctic Monkeys live show is something you can sing along to, but the fans at the Palace seem to disagree. They give it their all and sing their little hearts out just to let the band know we hear them loud and clear as the main set closes with When The Sun Goes Down.
Returning for the encore, Arctic Monkeys perform title track Suck It And See (dedicated to the girls) and the masterful Fluorescent Adolescent (again, dedicated to the girls) before welcoming Miles Kane back on stage for guitar duties during 505, the build up of which is the perfect curtain-closing finale for the night.
Despite a few key tracks omitted from their set lists of late, Arctic Monkeys know exactly how to play their strengths during a live show, never once allowing for a dull moment to sneak its way into the performance that has kicked off 2012 in very fine form.
Luke Sutton