Show Reviews Arctic Monkeys February 6 @ Agganis Arena Sidenote: I arrived too late to catch the first opening band that night, the punk rock group the Orwells. They may have been great or they may have been terrible: I wouldn’t know.
Reviews
On their 2014 tour, the England-based Arctic Monkeys have never been bigger across the lake. Their most recent album— 2013’s AM– was a both critical and commercial smash, loaded with earworm singles like “Do I Wanna Know?” and “Why Do You Only Call Me When You’re High?” It’s a success story that’s well-deserved. Over the course of five albums Arctic Monkeys have offered their take on myriad trends in rock music, from the stoner grunge found on 2009’s Humbug to the shimmering Britpop on 2011’s Suck It and See. What’s more, the primates had good company in their second (see above) opening band Deerhunter. Fronted by Bradford Cox, Deerhunter is an Atlanta, Georgia fivepiece that specializes in the juxtaposition of dissonance and jaw-dropping beauty. That juxtaposition was at the forefront of their Agganis set, often in the very same song (see “Back to the Middle,” “Earthquake”). The set
was heavy on material from the band’s last two albums, particularly 2010’s masterful Halcyon Digest. And while Deerhunter’s usually intense garage-rock assault was pared back (due to their stadium setting, one assumes) it was an approach that rewarded throughout. I’d be thrilled if some attendees besides the stoners seated next to me will check out the band based on their majestic performance of “Desire Lines.” Arctic Monkeys took the stage not long after, and in short order proved their worth as a bonafide stadium band with their opening song, the aforementioned “Do I Wanna Know?” That track, easily AM’s finest, was a crowd sing-a-long that brought everyone in attendance to their feet. Though the set was focused on cuts from that album, throughout the Arctic Monkeys offered up selections from all over their catalog and nailed them. Favorite Worst Nightmare cut “Brianstorm” for example tossed out AM’s sexy strut for a visceral banger that went by at a breakneck speed. The band killed with sludgy groove of “Crying Lightning” too, the first single from Humbug and one of their best songs. With a
catalog that’s now five albums deep, the group had a wealth of songs to draw from and their selection didn’t disappoint. Although I’d have liked to hear “A Certain Romance,” but I’m nitpicking and probably crazy. Moreover, the band’s on-stage charisma was undeniable. Frontman Alex Turner oozed class as he crooned and boogied during pauses in singing. His confidence was especially palpable when he shouted out catchphrases that would have given A Hard Day’s Night-era the Beatles pause (quite a few songs “for the ladies”). And I might have grimaced too had his deliveries been nailed less perfectly or the rest of the band been less instrumentally adept. It’s been a long road to stardom in the states, but if their Agganis set was any indication the Arctic Monkeys are more than up to the task. Mike Doub (Psychology/Journalism)
Arctic Monkeys
Ben Stas (English/Journalism)
Spring 2014
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