Arctic Monkeys Play it Cool at LC

Every few years there is a British invasion that wrecks havoc on the US. The Beatles and the Stones in the 60s, The Smiths and the Clash in the 80s, Oasis in the 90s, more recently, the brilliantly troubled Amy Winehouse and the mega-anthem making Coldplay, and let’s not forget about the actual British invasion of 1776 as a result of the American Revolution. And for the Arctic Monkeys, it was 2007.

That year, the band’s album Favourite Worst Nightmare produced three singles including the perennial CD102.5 favorite “Florescent Adolescent.”

Alas, a lot has changed in the music industry since then. And even the Arctic Monkeys have changed since then. Their sound has progressively become more electrified – driven by heavy riffs dripping with overdrive and wound tight with as many sixteenth notes that can be crammed into three minutes as possible. On stage, the band’s conscious gravitation toward thicker rock with quirky lyrics translates into an awesome show played at a furious tempo.

Strutting up to the microphone, lead Monkey Alex Turner looked every bit the part of a rocker for an indie generation as he and his band opened with “Don’t Sit Down ’Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair.” With no lag time in-between songs, the band launched directly into Favourite Worst Nightmare’s “Teddy Picker” followed by “Crying Lighting.”

Standouts of the night were “Brainstorm” featuring the amazing Moon-esque drumming of Matt Helders, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,” which induced a brief small, polite mosh-pit, and the aforementioned radio single “Florescent Adolescent.”

Closing with 505, the Arctic Monkeys left the LC Pavilion stage in less time than it takes to do a crossword puzzle. But that’s not a bad thing. The band’s barely over an hour set was a nonstop punch in the mouth of jangly hooks played at a feverish pace. Wisely, the band left the crowd wanting more – opting to be more like a perfect European fling than an extending overseas relationship.

This review was written by Josh Fitzwater and brought to you by the Franklin University Plaza at the LC Pavilion. For more information about shows that Josh and the Franklin crew will be attending and for chances to win tickets to concerts all year long, visit us on Facebook. Photography was provided by Matt Ellis at Three-Songs Photography.