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In two years Arctic Monkeys have gonc fromobscurity to headlining Glastonbury and selling3.5 million albums how do these four young menfrom Sheffield become pop megastars?
In 2001, neighbours Alex Turner and JamieCook asked for instruments as a Christmas presentand both received electric guitars. After teachingthemselves to play, the pair formed a band withTurner's school friends Andy Nicholson and MattHelders later in 2002. According to Helders, theband's name is just a name that Jamie Cook cameup with at school before the band existed. "Hejust always wanted to be in a band called ArcticMonkeys."
They began rehearsing in a warehouse, andtheir first gig came on 13 June 2003 at The Grapesin Sheffield city-centre. After a few performances.the band began to record demos and burn them ontoCDs to give away at gigs. With a limited number ofCDs available, fans began to upload the music ontothe lnternet and share it amongst themselves. Theband did not mind. saying "we never made thosedemos to make money or anything. We were givingthem away free anyway-that was a better way forpeople to hear them. And i! made the gigs better,because people knew the words and came and sangalong."
Towards the end of 2004, the band began togain a reputation around an increasing part of thenorth of England, they began to receive attentionfrom BBC Radio 1 and the British tabloid press. InMay 2005. Arctic Monkeys released their first EP,Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys, featuring thesongs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From theRitz to the Rubble".Their appearance onthe Carling Stage atthe 2005 Reading andLeeds Festivals washyped by much of themusic press-NMEinparticular - and the band was receivedby an unusually large crowd. It wasat this time that vocalist Alex Turnertook the opportunity to rebuff claimsthat his band could not live up tothe hype that has followed theiremergence, and declared, "It feelslike a moment, us playing here."
The band resisted signingto a record deal, refusing tochange their songs to suit theindustry. The band's cynicismwith the industry went to theextent that record companyscouts were refused guaranteedguest list entry for their gigs.The success of their logic-"We've got this far withoutthem-why should we letthem in?", was illustrated witha series of sell-out gigs acrossthe UK. Turner declared theirrise to stardom via the Internet"amazing".
Eventually, the band endedup signing to Domino Recordsin June 2005. Their first singleafter signing to Domino, "IBet You Look Good on theDancefloor", was released on17 October 2005 and wentstraight to #1 on the UK SinglesChart, selling 38,962 copiesand beating McFly and RobbieWilliams in the process .6 Threedays later, the band made theirfirst appearance on the coverof NME. Their second single,"When the Sun Goes Down",was released on 16 January 2006 and also went straight to #1 on theUK Singles Chart, selling 38,922copies and dethroning ShayneWard. The band's success inreaching the number 1 spot hasled some to suggest that it couldsignal a change in how new bandsachieve recognition.
The band finished recordingtheir debut album duringSeptember 2005. Its name wasconfirmed as Whatever PeopleSay I Am, That's What I'm Notin early December, with releaseoriginally intended for 30 January2006. However, on 5 January2006, Domino announced thealbum's release would be broughtforward one week to the 23January apparently "due to highdemand".
WhatEver People Say I Am,That's What I'm Not became thefastest selling debut album inUK chart history, selling 363,735copies in the first week, and soldmore copies on its first day salesalone-118,501-than the rest ofthe Top 20 albums combined.
The record was released amonth later in the United Statesand sold 34,000 units in its firstweek. Although US critics weremore reserved about the bandthan their UK counterparts, theband's June 2006 tour of NorthAmerica has received critical acclaim at each stop-the hype surrounding them in Britain "proven to existfor good reason."
In a similar fashion to bands like Oasis and TheSmiths, the band wasted no time in recording newmaterial, and released a 5-track EP on 24 April 2006,entitled Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? Seen asa swipe9 back at the snowballing hype surroundingthe band, the EP was ineligible to chart as a UK singleor album. Furthermore, the record's bad language hasresulted in much less radio airplay than experiencedby their previous records, although this is unlikelyto be of concern "since they made their nameon the internet--and that got them a No.1 singleand album-they don't care if they don't get radioplay".
In May 2006 it was announced that bassistAndy Nicholson would not take part in the band'sforthcoming North America tour due to "fatiguefollowing an intensive period of touring". However,on 19 June it was confirmed on the band's officialwebsite that Nicholson had indeed left the band.
The band have received some criticism, basedlargely around the media circus that has surroundedtheir rise. Critics have said that they are one in along line of largely over-hyped "NME bands". Ontop of this, the release of the EP Who the Fuck AreArctic Monkeys just three months after their record-breaking debut album has also been criticised by some,who have seen it as "money-grabbing" and "cashing inon their success". However, the band have stated theirreluctance to "live off old records", and countered thatthey regularly release new music not to make money, butto avoid the "boredom" of "spending three years touringon one album".
Arctic Monkeys are not likeother bands. They were the firstband to benefit from their fanssharing demos of their songs viathe Internet. Yet they still refuseto take up most of the offers ofexposure-magazine cover shootsand the like--that come their way.They're different too because theydon't like doing interviews. Reallydon't like doing interviews. Theyarc bizarre, aren't they?
In 2001, neighbours Alex Turner and JamieCook asked for instruments as a Christmas presentand both received electric guitars. After teachingthemselves to play, the pair formed a band withTurner's school friends Andy Nicholson and MattHelders later in 2002. According to Helders, theband's name is just a name that Jamie Cook cameup with at school before the band existed. "Hejust always wanted to be in a band called ArcticMonkeys."
They began rehearsing in a warehouse, andtheir first gig came on 13 June 2003 at The Grapesin Sheffield city-centre. After a few performances.the band began to record demos and burn them ontoCDs to give away at gigs. With a limited number ofCDs available, fans began to upload the music ontothe lnternet and share it amongst themselves. Theband did not mind. saying "we never made thosedemos to make money or anything. We were givingthem away free anyway-that was a better way forpeople to hear them. And i! made the gigs better,because people knew the words and came and sangalong."
Towards the end of 2004, the band began togain a reputation around an increasing part of thenorth of England, they began to receive attentionfrom BBC Radio 1 and the British tabloid press. InMay 2005. Arctic Monkeys released their first EP,Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys, featuring thesongs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From theRitz to the Rubble".Their appearance onthe Carling Stage atthe 2005 Reading andLeeds Festivals washyped by much of themusic press-NMEinparticular - and the band was receivedby an unusually large crowd. It wasat this time that vocalist Alex Turnertook the opportunity to rebuff claimsthat his band could not live up tothe hype that has followed theiremergence, and declared, "It feelslike a moment, us playing here."
The band resisted signingto a record deal, refusing tochange their songs to suit theindustry. The band's cynicismwith the industry went to theextent that record companyscouts were refused guaranteedguest list entry for their gigs.The success of their logic-"We've got this far withoutthem-why should we letthem in?", was illustrated witha series of sell-out gigs acrossthe UK. Turner declared theirrise to stardom via the Internet"amazing".
Eventually, the band endedup signing to Domino Recordsin June 2005. Their first singleafter signing to Domino, "IBet You Look Good on theDancefloor", was released on17 October 2005 and wentstraight to #1 on the UK SinglesChart, selling 38,962 copiesand beating McFly and RobbieWilliams in the process .6 Threedays later, the band made theirfirst appearance on the coverof NME. Their second single,"When the Sun Goes Down",was released on 16 January 2006 and also went straight to #1 on theUK Singles Chart, selling 38,922copies and dethroning ShayneWard. The band's success inreaching the number 1 spot hasled some to suggest that it couldsignal a change in how new bandsachieve recognition.
The band finished recordingtheir debut album duringSeptember 2005. Its name wasconfirmed as Whatever PeopleSay I Am, That's What I'm Notin early December, with releaseoriginally intended for 30 January2006. However, on 5 January2006, Domino announced thealbum's release would be broughtforward one week to the 23January apparently "due to highdemand".
WhatEver People Say I Am,That's What I'm Not became thefastest selling debut album inUK chart history, selling 363,735copies in the first week, and soldmore copies on its first day salesalone-118,501-than the rest ofthe Top 20 albums combined.
The record was released amonth later in the United Statesand sold 34,000 units in its firstweek. Although US critics weremore reserved about the bandthan their UK counterparts, theband's June 2006 tour of NorthAmerica has received critical acclaim at each stop-the hype surrounding them in Britain "proven to existfor good reason."
In a similar fashion to bands like Oasis and TheSmiths, the band wasted no time in recording newmaterial, and released a 5-track EP on 24 April 2006,entitled Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? Seen asa swipe9 back at the snowballing hype surroundingthe band, the EP was ineligible to chart as a UK singleor album. Furthermore, the record's bad language hasresulted in much less radio airplay than experiencedby their previous records, although this is unlikelyto be of concern "since they made their nameon the internet--and that got them a No.1 singleand album-they don't care if they don't get radioplay".
In May 2006 it was announced that bassistAndy Nicholson would not take part in the band'sforthcoming North America tour due to "fatiguefollowing an intensive period of touring". However,on 19 June it was confirmed on the band's officialwebsite that Nicholson had indeed left the band.
The band have received some criticism, basedlargely around the media circus that has surroundedtheir rise. Critics have said that they are one in along line of largely over-hyped "NME bands". Ontop of this, the release of the EP Who the Fuck AreArctic Monkeys just three months after their record-breaking debut album has also been criticised by some,who have seen it as "money-grabbing" and "cashing inon their success". However, the band have stated theirreluctance to "live off old records", and countered thatthey regularly release new music not to make money, butto avoid the "boredom" of "spending three years touringon one album".
Arctic Monkeys are not likeother bands. They were the firstband to benefit from their fanssharing demos of their songs viathe Internet. Yet they still refuseto take up most of the offers ofexposure-magazine cover shootsand the like--that come their way.They're different too because theydon't like doing interviews. Reallydon't like doing interviews. Theyarc bizarre, aren't they?