A little over ten years ago, four kids in high school set out to become like their musical mentors, Oasis. Their songs offered glimpses into the life of the average teenager: late nights with a few beers, unrequited love, the sunset in Sheffield, their hometown, as well as one or two random critiques on the crazy lifestyle they’re part of.
The Arctic Monkeys burst into the Brit-Rock scene with the lyrics penned by Alex Turner, a shy teen that started typing all his emotions into his cell-phone and then turned them into verses. Though they rose to international fame once their fans launched their demo on MySpace, the band has remained true to themselves and their sound. They rejected offers from major labels and signed their first record contract with Domino, an Indie label.
Though fans are anxiously waiting for the next album, they might be in for a wait since Turner is currently focused on his other project, The Last Shadow Puppets.
In the meantime, test your Arctic Monkey knowledge with these 50 Facts:
1. Alex Turner and Jamie Cook were neighbors. One Christmas both of them asked for guitars.
2. During the recording of their first album, Jim Abbiss was surprised at how strongly the band fought against suggestions regarding the order of the tracks.
3. Turner wrote a short story for Late Night Tales called “A Choice of Three”.
4. While they recorded AM in Los Angeles, the band adopted a biker fashion style and would spend whole days riding motorcycles.
5. Turner and drummer Matt Helders grew so tired of the constant questions regarding how the band’s name came about that they started making up slew of wild stories to confuse the press.
6. The band has been heavily criticized by Noel Gallagher and Thom Yorke as being overly hyped by the music press.
7. Cook is the only one who knows the true meaning behind the band’s name. He’s never revealed it to the press or even Turner.
8.“When The Sun Goes Down” inspired an award-winning documentary titled Scummy Man regarding prostitution in Sheffield county.
9. Lauren Socha appeared on the documentary before her rise to fame on the show Misfits.
10. Helders is not just the band’s drummer, he’s also a DJ and producer. He likes to make remixes of The Hives and Duran Duran.
11. The cover of Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not features a friend of the band at the bar Korova in Liverpool.
12. The bar that witnessed the band’s beginnings and rise to fame is called The Boardwalk.
13. Helders is also a promoter and festival curator. He’s one of the people behind Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival.
14. Johanna Bennett, Turner’s ex-girlfriend who co-wrote “Fluorescent Adolescent” with him, is married to Matthew Followill from Kings of Leon.
15. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Turner donated one of his guitars for auction in order to raise money for those affected.
16. The band members are fans of movies from the sixties, which is shown through some of the album artwork.
17. Despite rejecting invitations to appear on any TV Show (including the Brit Awards), the band finally made its first appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2006.
18. During the 2009 Brit Awards, the band openly mocked Adele and Kate Nash, when they mimicked the artists’ acceptance speeches when they themselves won the award for Best British Band. The moment was edited on the television broadcast.
19. Turner confesses he’s a fan of The Strokes and The Libertines; Helders admits he can’t stop listening to Queens of the Stone Age.
20. Alex Turner was reminded of his love of Hip Hop during the recording of AM in which he showed his admiration for Dr. Dre.
Gone are the days when fans shared their tracks on MySpace and the band playing on Saturday nights at The Boardwalk. It was after the release of their most successful album yet, AM, when questions arose on whether the move from Sheffield to California had changed them. But no matter on what side of the argument you’re on, one thing is for sure: their songs have become the soundtrack of a generation.
Check out 10 Arctic Monkeys Songs That Will Teach You About Love
Translated by María Suárez
