New Faces: Arctic Monkeys (Rolling Stone Magazine) |
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How the U.K. teens became the next Franz Ferdinand
Alex Turner, frontman for British foursome Arctic Monkeys, is a scrawny nineteen-year-old with spotty skin who mumbles like the shyest kid in your freshman dorm. He's also England's fastest-rising rock star. Arctic Monkeys' first single, the rambunctious guitar blast "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor," debuted at Number One there in October, thanks to a fan base that grew around free MP3s of the band's demos.
"One minute we were at college and stuff," says Turner, who still lives in his parents' house in a suburb of Sheffield, England. "And the next minute all this happens." Even though their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, won't be released in the States until February 21st, Arctic Monkeys sold out a U.S. tour last fall; at the New York opener, Turner begged overexcited hipsters to stop snapping pictures for their blogs.
The band has since won praise from the likes of Mick Jagger and the Strokes. But three years ago, Arctic Monkeys were just another group of teenage friends messing around in a garage with instruments they couldn't play. "We just wanted to be a band -- playing anything was quite an achievement," says nineteen-year-old drummer Matt Helders. After months of thrashing through Vines and White Stripes covers, Turner began bringing in his own songs. The breakthrough was "Fake Tales of San Francisco," a hooky, sharply observed nightlife portrait, with ska rhythms and one Elvis Costello-worthy pun: "All the weekend rock stars are in the toilet/Practicing their lines."
At local gigs, the group gave away home-burned demo CDs of its punky, Brit-poppy tunes, which evoke Blur and the Libertines. Soon, fans posted the songs online, and ever-larger crowds of kids were singing along with Turner's uncannily smart lyrics. Last spring, Arctic Monkeys ended a bidding war by signing with U.K. indie label Domino Records, home to Franz Ferdinand.
The band hopes the hype from its fairy-tale ascent won't distract from its music. "We wanted to find a sound separate from changing styles and times," says Turner. "More than anything, we just want our album to be remembered."
Source: Rolling Stone |
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Arctic Monkeys Up For Brit Award |
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This year's Brit Awards sees Arctic monkeys up for an award.
The band have been nominated in the category for best "British Breakthrough Act" alongside James Blunt, Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall and The Magic Numbers.
To see the rest of the categories and nominees, and to take a look at the news story which shows Arctic Monkeys and how bands use the internet to get recognised, follow the links below:
Full List of Nominees
BBC Lunchtime News Video |
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New Design, Obviously |
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So what does everybody think of the new design? Credit to Dan for the general layout, and everything else, until i fix the header, which basically means making it a fully rounded rectangle.
Let us know what you think. |
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Album Rush Release Was NOT Due To Leak |
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We previously reported that the new Arctic Monkeys album was being rush released due to the album leaking online but according to their label "Domino Records", the album release date has been brought forward due to a quicker than expected manufacturing process.
Laurence Bell of Domino Records explained:
"People are always putting albums back so we thought it would be fun to bring some forward. We did the same with Franz Ferdinand. The manufacturing went quicker than anticipated and the thinking is that the albums are going to do more good if they are in the shops rather than sat in the Domino warehouse for an extra week. And the sooner people can hear this incredible record the better. It's going to be the soundtrack to 2024." |
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Arctic Monkeys US Tour Dates Confirmed |
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Arctic Monkeys are returning to the US later this year, after the NME awards tour and the European tour which follows that. The US dates are below. To see ALL upcoming gigs check the Current Tour page.
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Monday 13th Mar
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, CA
Wednesday 15th Mar
Henry Fonda Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
Friday 17th Mar
La Zona Rosa
Austin, TX
DOMINO SXSW SHOWCASE! Featuring Arctic Monkeys, Test Icicles, The Beautiful New Born Children, Archie Bronson Outfit & special guests.
Saturday 18th Mar
Metro
Chicago, IL
Tuesday 21st Mar
Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ONT CANADA
Wednesday 22nd Mar
La Sala Rossa
Montreal, QC CANADA
Thursday 23rd Mar
Paradise Rock Club
Boston, MA
Saturday 25th Mar
Webster Hall
New York, NY
Sunday 26th Mar
First Unitarian Church
Philadelphia, PA
Monday 27th Mar
9:30 Club
Washington, DC
Wednesday 29th Mar
Crocodile Cafe
Seattle, WA |
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