Arctic Monkeys: Webster Hall Review
Ok, where to start... Last night was all sorts of crazy for me and at the end of the night, the Arctic Monkeys were the last thing on my mind. But I did have an awesome time at the show and here's my review.
The opening act for the Monkeys was The Spinto Band. You may have heard of them through Ultragrrrl. She's been hyping them for awhile and not surprisingly since they are on her new label, Stolen Transmission. Well, I don't want to start a rumble here, but all the volume on that buzz needs to be turned down from 11 to 2. I couldn't tell you how many songs Spinto played because to me, it was all one long half hour tune. It's not necessarily that the tune was bad, the drunk guy in front of me was thrashing around like he was at a Def Leppard concert (I think it may have been that dude from the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah video), but rather that it all sounded the same. One sound does not an album make.
And please, won't someone tell me why they need three guitar players? There were two boys in the middle and two boys on the side (I say boys because it is debatable whether they have hit puberty or not) and it seemed to me as if both these groups could split off, divide a song in half and actually have something decent.
But listen, I have to give it up for them because here they are, 18 or something, opening for the hottest band to hit NYC since The Strokes in 2002 and doing what they love. I say, find a purpose, find a direction and come back to me in a couple of years.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Arctic Monkeys.
Out comes Alex Turner, lead singer, to screams and applause. Football chants are being shouted from stage left, from the right comes a chorus of 'Love Machine, Love Machine!', from some girls requesting the band's Girls Aloud cover, and all around me is a British invasion critiquing every Arctic Monkey move.
I admit, I didn't have very high expectations coming into this show. I think the album is good, but not great (that being said, one of my all time favourite songs of last year was 'Fake Tales of San Francisco' but we all know that one great song does not make a great album, it makes a great record).
Well, much like the Editors, their live show far surpasses their album. Perhaps it was the combination of the boisterous crowd, the bouncing Webster floor and the three beers and one shot of tequila I had before hand, but I thought it rocked and really came together live. It was like you suddenly got what they were all about. Perhaps now I should re-listen to the album...which I did after the Editors concert as a matter of fact and now I think it's brilliant. Anyway, I digress.
They started off with 'I bet that you look good on the dance floor'(*Edit: thank you diligent fans, it was actually 'View from the Afternoon'- my bad), which got everyone moving, then moved swiftly through all the hits, 'Mardy Bum', 'Scummy Man', 'Dancing Shoes' and my favourite, 'Fake Tales of San Francisco'- which had everyone, including myself, jumping and screaming. Why that was not the first single, or a single, I'll never know (unless it had to do with Zane Lowe of BBCRadio1 pushing 'I bet that you...' early on).
The Brits behind my friend and I were complaining that they didn't play anything from the demo and there was some noise about them not playing that well but whatever. A concert that has everyone dancing, singing and in a great mood, is therefore a great concert.
Special shout out to the Amrit (thanks again) and Jerry Yeti. It was great to meet you guys. Also, Happy Birthday Brook. Hope you enjoyed the show.
For part two of my evening, head over to The Modern Age where Laura recounts all our misadventures after the show. Well, not all. After the Roll n Roaster fight there was a bit at the Burp Castle pub (a quiet pub, shhhhh) with some drunk Swiss guys who insisted on buying my friends and I a massive amount of very nice beer.
And as a special bonus, this goes out to the girls with the Love Machine sign: 'Love Machine' covered by Arctic Monkeys.
**Edit- Matt reminded me in his post that I meant to comment on the new song played. I made notes and everything! Well, I'm not sure what the title of the new song was either but I have a feeling it was one of the ones off of the new EP Who the Fuck Are the Arctic Monkeys which will be released on April 24th. I really liked the new track. Alex forgot the words in the beginning and had to start over which was cute. It has the same long pauses in the middle that define their music but this one has much more of a mature rock sound- an indication of what is to come I think.**
The opening act for the Monkeys was The Spinto Band. You may have heard of them through Ultragrrrl. She's been hyping them for awhile and not surprisingly since they are on her new label, Stolen Transmission. Well, I don't want to start a rumble here, but all the volume on that buzz needs to be turned down from 11 to 2. I couldn't tell you how many songs Spinto played because to me, it was all one long half hour tune. It's not necessarily that the tune was bad, the drunk guy in front of me was thrashing around like he was at a Def Leppard concert (I think it may have been that dude from the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah video), but rather that it all sounded the same. One sound does not an album make.
And please, won't someone tell me why they need three guitar players? There were two boys in the middle and two boys on the side (I say boys because it is debatable whether they have hit puberty or not) and it seemed to me as if both these groups could split off, divide a song in half and actually have something decent.
But listen, I have to give it up for them because here they are, 18 or something, opening for the hottest band to hit NYC since The Strokes in 2002 and doing what they love. I say, find a purpose, find a direction and come back to me in a couple of years.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Arctic Monkeys.
Out comes Alex Turner, lead singer, to screams and applause. Football chants are being shouted from stage left, from the right comes a chorus of 'Love Machine, Love Machine!', from some girls requesting the band's Girls Aloud cover, and all around me is a British invasion critiquing every Arctic Monkey move.
I admit, I didn't have very high expectations coming into this show. I think the album is good, but not great (that being said, one of my all time favourite songs of last year was 'Fake Tales of San Francisco' but we all know that one great song does not make a great album, it makes a great record).
Well, much like the Editors, their live show far surpasses their album. Perhaps it was the combination of the boisterous crowd, the bouncing Webster floor and the three beers and one shot of tequila I had before hand, but I thought it rocked and really came together live. It was like you suddenly got what they were all about. Perhaps now I should re-listen to the album...which I did after the Editors concert as a matter of fact and now I think it's brilliant. Anyway, I digress.
They started off with 'I bet that you look good on the dance floor'(*Edit: thank you diligent fans, it was actually 'View from the Afternoon'- my bad), which got everyone moving, then moved swiftly through all the hits, 'Mardy Bum', 'Scummy Man', 'Dancing Shoes' and my favourite, 'Fake Tales of San Francisco'- which had everyone, including myself, jumping and screaming. Why that was not the first single, or a single, I'll never know (unless it had to do with Zane Lowe of BBCRadio1 pushing 'I bet that you...' early on).
The Brits behind my friend and I were complaining that they didn't play anything from the demo and there was some noise about them not playing that well but whatever. A concert that has everyone dancing, singing and in a great mood, is therefore a great concert.
Special shout out to the Amrit (thanks again) and Jerry Yeti. It was great to meet you guys. Also, Happy Birthday Brook. Hope you enjoyed the show.
For part two of my evening, head over to The Modern Age where Laura recounts all our misadventures after the show. Well, not all. After the Roll n Roaster fight there was a bit at the Burp Castle pub (a quiet pub, shhhhh) with some drunk Swiss guys who insisted on buying my friends and I a massive amount of very nice beer.
And as a special bonus, this goes out to the girls with the Love Machine sign: 'Love Machine' covered by Arctic Monkeys.
**Edit- Matt reminded me in his post that I meant to comment on the new song played. I made notes and everything! Well, I'm not sure what the title of the new song was either but I have a feeling it was one of the ones off of the new EP Who the Fuck Are the Arctic Monkeys which will be released on April 24th. I really liked the new track. Alex forgot the words in the beginning and had to start over which was cute. It has the same long pauses in the middle that define their music but this one has much more of a mature rock sound- an indication of what is to come I think.**
Labels: arctic monkeys, concert review, webster hall
posted by JK | 1:31 PM
11 Comments:
Jen: Def LeppARD. Just so we're clear on that.
That was a great show. I must have been near you somewhere in the front as the british football gang was right next to me. :)
I thought they were a blast! Lots of energy. The funny thing was that it seemed everyone I kept meeting had a British accent. Great pictures by the way!
They opened with "The View from the Afternoon". "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" was second.
Yep, Mike's right. And did they play it twice? I seemed to have blurred in all the excitement of the opening number. Check my review and pix at http://wavedrumor.blogspot.com
You know, I sort of remembered that they didn't open with 'Dancefloor' but I couldn't recall the v. first one. I thought that was the first one to get everyone moving anyway.
What was everyone's Spinto Band take? I'm eager to hear why people like them.
Artic monkeys are the best band to come out of the UK in a good while....
fake tales of san fran was the first single the monkeys released, but they released it themselves, and it sank without trace. Then zane lowes patronage arrived and bingo, their huge.
Well done!
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