A concert in Dundee by indie upstarts Arctic Monkeys was not written in the stars – that would be a lofty claim.
It’d be fair to say it was written on a city wall, though.
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.
The Arctic Bar hit the headlines
Singer Alex Turner was asked what was the strangest thing to happen to the band since they completed their transformation from underground heroes to bona fide rock stars.
“There’s this bar in Dundee called the Arctic Bar, right,” he said.
“And there’s a big sign outside the bar with ‘Arctic’ written in huge letters.
“Someone spray-painted ‘monkeys’ under it and sent us a photo.
“That’s pretty mad.”
The title of the group’s album, Whatever People Say, That’s What I’m Not, was also written in large black letters on a wall outside the pub.
So it was no surprise when they decided to perform in Dundee during a small UK tour ahead of the release of their upcoming second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare.
Arctic Monkeys were now Britain’s biggest band.
All £19.50 tickets for the 2,200-capacity April 17 2007 gig sold out within hours.
Arctic Monkeys hammered out the tracks in Dundee
It takes supreme self-confidence to open a show with a new, unknown song.
But the Arctics, always willing to go out on a limb, did just that.
The pounding bass guitar and drums of comeback single Brianstorm kicked things off following the 30-second thrash of If You Found This It’s Probably Too Late.
The quintessential indie-pop banger I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor followed which cranked up the intensity as 2,200 people pogoed from the first chord.
The Courier reviewed the Caird Hall concert where the band performed a set which included songs from their back catalogue alongside some new material.
The review said: “Hammering out tracks from their new album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, punctuated now and again by the classic singles from the record-breaking first album, Whatever People Say, That’s What I’m Not, their trademark blistering pace saw 12 go by in just over half-an-hour.
“Once again, the incredible reaction of the fans rubbished the outdated notion that the venue lacks atmosphere, and if you get the right bands there it’s as good as anywhere in the country.
“That point was best illustrated when Dancing Shoes produced the first extra big roar of the night, and followed up soon after by a superb rendition of Mardy Bum.
“On first listen, the new album seems less immediate than its predecessor, but the newer songs really stood up in a live setting, particularly From the Ritz to the Rubble and Balaclava.”
The stuff of dreams for one fan
Turner glanced at the heaving crowd and asked: “Are you having a good time?
“It’s nice to see you’re all singing and dancing.
“I respect that.
“I appreciate it.”
This was the beginning of the Arctic Monkeys as rock and roll legends.
Nick O’Malley, the bassist who replaced Andy Nicholson, supplied restless rhythms to balance the guitar lines of Turner and Jamie Cook throughout the performance.
Matt Helders’ jaw-dropping work on the drums was exhausting to watch.
During the concert there was one moment every fan dreams of.
Two local lads decided to scale their way down from the balcony on to the towering speaker stack to conduct the crowd during When The Sun Goes Down.
As security guards made a beeline for the pair, Turner stopped strumming before kindly inviting one of the men — Mark Smith from Dundee — to join him onstage.
“Say hello and then I’d think you’d best scarper,” said Turner, before the stage invader launched himself into the waiting arms of the crowd after shaking hands with the band.
Smith hugged Turner and took the mass applause of the crowd
“Upstaged by a stage diver!” quipped Turner.
Fans of the band looked good on the dancefloor that night but their enthusiasm for Turner and co to keep playing led to the building incurring minor damage.
Some members of the audience started to hit the side of the balcony to encourage the band to start playing again and some of the decorative plaster board caved in.
Luckily Turner and the boys picked up where they left off!
The band never looked back
The Courier review said: “With 2,200 people bouncing as one they launched into From the Afternoon, You Probably Couldn’t See, When the Sun Goes Down, Leave Before the Lights and final track A Certain Romance left everybody breathless.
“It was superb stuff from a band who have gone from young teenage upstarts to real, international rock stars in little over a year.”
Turner’s advice for anyone inspired by the Dundee 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 has gone from strength to strength in the two decades since they formed.
Their seven studio albums include 2009’s Humbug, Suck It and See in 2011, 2013’s AM, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino from 2018 and The Car, which was released in 2022.
On The Car, Turner sings of jet skis, photoshoots and mirror balls, a dusty and creaking vision of fame – and a more grown-up version of the adolescent angst of early Arctic Monkeys records.
It’s been a gradual process, but one that has seen the clattering guitars of barnstorming hits such as I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor and 505 firmly dropped in favour of lush strings, smooth jazz and soul.
Turner is now regarded by many as one of the most significant frontmen of the 21st Century, and his album-to-album transformations have led to comparisons with David Bowie.
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