Indie upstarts Arctic Monkeys proved they were the real deal when they ended their 2007 UK Tour on a high in the Granite City.
The Sheffield band returned to Britain and played a small tour of large venues across the UK including two dates at the AECC on December 14 and 15.
The concerts would be the band’s only Scottish dates.
Formed in 2002, the Sheffield-based indie rockers shot to fame with their first two singles, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor and When The Sun Goes Down.
Arctic Monkey’s debut album, Whatever People Say, That’s What I’m Not became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history in 2006.
It also garnered critical acclaim, winning both the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2006 and the 2007 Brit Award for Best British Album.
Their follow up album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, reached number one in the charts and was also nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize.
Huge demand for Arctic Monkey tickets
Both their gigs at the 8,500-capacity AECC sold out within hours of going on sale.
An AECC spokesman said: “We knew the demand would be huge as Arctic Monkeys are only playing six gigs in the UK, two here, two in London and two in Manchester.
“But the demand for tickets was phenomenal.
“Our box office sold all its tickets within half an hour of lines opening at 9am.
“We have seen major gigs sell out quickly before, but for single nights.
“To sell 17,000 tickets in such a short space of time is quite incredible and shows just how popular the Arctic Monkeys are.”
Lead singer Alex Turner spoke to the EE before the Granite City dates.
Turner said: “We only have a few gigs left on this tour and we will finish up with the dates in Scotland.
“This tour has been absolutely fantastic, we have all had such a great time. Although it is coming to an end there will be no let up and these final shows will be special.
“We have all enjoyed the tour, but it will be good to get home and get a rest.”
New songs written on the road
Turner said they were working hard on the follow-up to Favourite Worst Nightmare and fans at the AECC double header would catch sneak previews of new songs.
“The new songs are a little different,” admitted Turner.
“They are a bit full on, in your face.
“Most of them were written on the road where we have started with an acoustic then just added bits and pieces.
“So far they are going down pretty well at the shows and I could see some of the fans already mouthing the words to the new songs, which is always a good sign.”
Turner was aware there was backlash to his band’s evolution but couldn’t care less.
He said: “Some people are criticising us, but the fans are still packing out the gigs, that’s all that matters.
“People forget that only a few years ago we were playing to about 10 people in clubs in Sheffield.
“We have come so far from those days, so a few knocks from critics aren’t going to make any difference to us.”
Turner’s advice for anyone inspired by the AECC show to form a band?
Just do it!
“You see people in bands and you wonder how you get into that industry,” he said.
“It looks like a lot of trouble.
“But it’s really quite easy to start a band up, anyone can do it.”
The band opened with a new song
The P&J reviewed the first night at the AECC where the band performed a set which included songs from their back catalogue alongside some new material.
The review said: “They may be Britain’s biggest band, but the Arctic Monkeys are still willing to take a chance.
“It takes supreme self-confidence and real courage to open an arena show with a new, unknown song.
“But the Arctics, always willing to go out on a limb, did just that.
“As an opener they launched into the unreleased Sandtrap, loud, hard and driven by a jagged guitar riff.
“A homage to garage rock, it is splashed with melodic invention.
“The majority of the crowd, expecting the chart toppers, were left perplexed. It was a bold move, but it paid off.
“The vicious sound of Sandtrap, and other new unreleased songs like Put Me in a Terror Pocket suggest their third album could be more extreme than previous releases.
“The Arctics are set to go into the studio early next year to record Sandtrap as their next single.
“But the fans were soon sated with a rapid run through of their chart topping hits.
“Recent single Teddy Picker, sounded fresher and more immediate than the tame recorded version.
“Then a roar erupted as the unmistakable opening chords of I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor rung out over the capacity arena.
“Next up was When The Sun Goes Down, another slice of perfect pop which underlines just how good a singles band the Arctic Monkeys are.
“Like The Jam, The Smiths and Blur they have produced a faultless run of singles.
“All the hits had the audience in raptures.
“With the standard of the new material, the future looks bright for the four piece.”
It certainly was.
The band returned to Aberdeen
The band has gone from strength to strength in the two decades since they formed.
They returned to the AECC in 2011 and brought the house down with a barnstorming 21-song performance to promote fourth studio album Suck It and See.
Turner’s hairdo was just as memorable as the music itself!
But he enjoyed the 2011 Aberdeen show so much he said he wanted to stay on stage all night before declaring poetic anthem When The Sun Goes Down the last song.
With the crowd still singing, Turner, with his bouffant quiff, threw his leather jacket over his shoulder and strolled off stage with a chorus of cheers ringing in his ears.
Job done.
The band are continuing to push the boundaries over a decade on.
Seventh album, The Car, completed their latest transformation from indie scallywags to stylish retro-rockers with a penchant for vintage pianos and high concepts.
