By Tom Bray
Arctic Monkeys, the UK’s sensational indie rock band, are currently finalizing their new (still untitled) third album due to be released in the upcoming months. Having played the ‘Big Day Out’ Festival in Oz and a couple of shows in New Zealand in January, the boys are taking some time out to finish their new album and are currently adding dates to their summer festival tour. However, lead singer/guitarist Alex Turner and drummer Matt Helders took some time to speak to The Linc about their new album, the upcoming summer tour and what’s new with the Monkeys.
We asked about their shows down under: “It was a fantastic experience and something I would definitely like to do again” said Alex. “The fans out there were great and we even got to play a few of our tracks from our upcoming album”. The band played new tracks such as ‘Dangerous Animals’, ‘Pretty Visitors’, ‘Go-Kart’ and ‘Crying Lightning’. All of which received a fantastic reception and are sure to be very popular around the world, especially in the UK.
So onto the new album: “[It] is very nearly completed, all the tracks have been recorded and as you know we have played some on tour already. It’s all very exciting and great for our fans to hear some of our new stuff as well as our better known hits.” says Matt.
“We are currently putting the finishing touches on the new record, we have worked really hard on it and we hope everyone likes it, as we have had great fun making it.” adds frontman Alex. “We have the names of the tracks but we have not yet decided on a name for the album (laughs)”.
I then asked which bands inspired them the most. Matt said: “Well our musical influences are definitely Oasis and the Clash and we also got to support Queens of the Stoneage in Texas last year, which was a dream come true for us as we certainly look up to them. To be given the opportunity to warm up the stage for them was fantastic”.
While I was there I was lucky enough to get a taste of the new album and listen to a couple of tracks, which makes me extremely excited for the new release. Lots of people are going to love it. The songs are full of energy, catchy riffs and sing-a-long lyrics that have come to be renowned with the Arctic Monkeys. These new songs are arguably their best work yet.
So what’s new with the band? “We are just getting things together for us to go on tour in the Summer but we are particularly excited about the release of our live DVD in the US, which comes out on 5th May and was very popular with our UK fanbase”. The live DVD is of the band performing their final show at Manchester Apollo last year.
The Arctic Monkeys are set to tour during the months of July and August, playing in over 11 festivals across European countries such as Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. The band are also set to headline the prestigious Reading & Leeds festival in August where they will be accompanied by acts such as the Prodigy, Maximo Park and Enter Shikari. They are set to play Leeds on Friday 28th August and Reading a day later on the 29th. Other big name bands playing at the festival include Kings of Leon, Kaiser Chiefs, Radiohead, Fall Out Boy and Bloc Party.
“We are definitely looking forward to playing the events in the UK, especially because nothing gets us more pumped than seeing your home crowd showing support. It’s what motivates me. I feel I have to give everything because they give it to me for the time I’m on that stage,” said Singer Alex. “We have played there before but being asked to headline the event is a great opportunity for us because the festival was where we first began to get recognised, so we’re going to give it our all – it’s sure to be one hell of a show,” Matt added.
So as we eagerly await the release of their new album, on top of their highly anticipated shows at the already sold out Reading and Leeds festivals – you better get on your dancing shoes.
The new Arctic Monkeys album will be released in the upcoming months on Domino Records. You can keep up to date with the Arctic Monkeys and their tour dates at www.arcticmonkeys.com.