“WHY’D you only call me when you’re Hyyydrooo?” purred Turner to a sold-out crowd; suited, booted and with a comb or two to hand – Arctic Monkeys were met by a rapturous roar from the Glasgow crowd that could have single-handily torn the roof off the incredible SSE Hydro venue.
It was the radio renegade Do I Wanna Know? that kicked things off; ballsy and loud with gritty guitar riffs that didn’t dampen as the set progressed. Quickly followed with Dancing Shoes saw the band play extra loud as Turner seductively pointed at the crowd.
And seducing the fans continued right through, Teddy Picker giving a nod to the second album, the release that cemented the young, greasy, garage ‘Monkeys into lyrical and musical geniuses- if songs about fishnets and yellow bricks are your thing that is.
Tonight’s set list made sure there was a good focus on AM, playing One For The Road, Why’d You Only Call Me When Your High?, Arabella (Turner leaving the guitar to one side) as well as an acoustic version of No1 Party Anthem.
An eruption of noise from the crowd peaked around the time the band took us back to where it all started- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor- indie rock at its effortless best.
Then the dainty and oh-so-beautiful Cornerstone saw Turner relax, unwind and sing to “the girls.” It’s one of most profoundly-intelligent and gut-wrenchingly meaningful tracks of the five albums, and with the song stripped back and played live it was nothing short of goose bump material.
Turner continued to dedicate songs from the heart to “the girls” as the set drew to a close, more vintage tracks in the form of Fluorescent Adolescent and an epic Do Me A Favour pleasing the crowd.
The encore saw the snippy and catchy Snap Out of It up first, an acoustic-led Mardy Bum and finally the legendary R U Mine? Confetti was fed into the crowd as the AM stage shot out shards of light around the arena, bringing this epic light show to a whole other level.
This 90 minute set put Arctic Monkeys at the top of their game- taking to the 13,000 strong crowd like it were the laid back days of 2006. Arctic Monkeys are one of the best bands in the world right now and they have the persona and songs to prove that on any given occasion.
Nadine Walker
