With their nervy and literate indie rock sound, Arctic Monkeys are a respected, adventurous, and successful group that could easily be called Britain’s biggest band of the early 21st century. The band arrived with a blast in 2005, assisted by rave reviews and online word of mouth. They quickly became a sensation in the United Kingdom, seen as the heir apparent to the throne left vacant by Oasis and the Libertines. Buoyed by the single ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,’ their 2006 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not briefly grabbed the title of fastest-selling album in British history. It landed on top of both the U.K. and U.S. rock album charts and took home the Mercury Prize. What set the group apart was Alex Turner, a singer/songwriter with a biting wit and grasp of English vernacular, not dissimilar to Paul Weller, the godfather of modern British rock. However, driven by their maverick creative spirit, Arctic Monkeys have proven highly unpredictable, reworking classic rock traditions on 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare and beefing up their guitars with the assistance of Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme on 2009’s Humbug. They also laced in some of the louche lounge aspects of Turner’s swinging side project the Last Shadow Puppets, an evolution that began on 2018’s arty Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino and deepened on its 2022 follow-up The Car. By that point, the band was a staple throughout the world.
Alex Turner and guitarist Jamie Cook began their music careers in 2001, receiving guitars for Christmas. Two years later, they began performing shows around their native Sheffield with drummer Matt Helders and bassist Andy Nicholson, two fellow students at Stocksbridge High School. A series of demo recordings followed, and Arctic Monkeys’ audience swelled as fans circulated those recordings via the Internet. The musicians soon found themselves at the center of a growing media circus, with outlets like BBC Radio examining the band’s music and mounting hype. By distributing their homemade material on the Internet, Arctic Monkeys were able to build a sizable fan base without the help of a record label, effectively circumventing the usual road to superstardom. They continued to buck tradition by signing with Domino Records in 2005, eschewing a major-label’s budget for Domino’s D.I.Y. cred and hip roster. The smart moves paid off as Arctic Monkeys’ first two singles — ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ and ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ — both topped the U.K. charts. Critical reception was similarly favorable, but few could have predicted the whirlwind success of the band’s debut album, which ousted Oasis’ Definitely Maybe as the fastest-selling debut in British history. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not sold 363,735 copies during its first week alone, transforming Arctic Monkeys from underground stars into mainstream figures.
Arctic Monkeys’ debut sold approximately 300,000 total copies in America, enough to warrant more media coverage. Their success continued as they released a spring EP, Who the F**k Are Arctic Monkeys, and prepared for a stateside tour. Temporary bassist Nick O’Malley was brought aboard for the band’s American shows, while a fatigued Nicholson stayed at home. Nicholson then announced his official departure when the band returned home in June 2006, and O’Malley remained with Arctic Monkeys as a permanent member. That fall, the guys received the 2006 Mercury Prize and donated the accompanying money to an undisclosed charity. Additional accolades included Best British Breakthrough Act at the BRIT Awards and Best New Band at the NME Awards. Released in April 2007, Favourite Worst Nightmare updated Arctic Monkeys’ sound with louder instruments and faster tempos, maintaining their popularity at home. Recording sessions for a third album commenced in early 2008, with producers adding some newfound heft to the band’s sound. Meanwhile, Arctic Monkeys released a concert album entitled At the Apollo before unveiling Humbug in August 2009, which went platinum in the U.K. The band hit the road that February, kicking off a multi-leg tour that ran through the rest of the year. In April 2018, Arctic Monkeys returned with the loungey Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, topping the U.K. and Billboard charts. Followed by the release of The Car in October 2022, the band continued their unique musical journey, earning critical acclaim and Grammy nominations.