Arctic Monkeys, Finsbury Park, London review • DIY Magazine

“Finsbury Park, you can’t be sure”, muses Alex Turner as he scans the never-ending crowd amassed before him. The short of it is - on this warm Friday night, Finsbury Park is very sure. Whether it’s the bleedin’ obvious ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’, ‘Brianstorm’ or tub-thumping opener ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ there’s barely a second through tonight’s entire set that doesn’t involve the lighting of flares, the throwing of pints or frankly terrible attempts at a Sheffield accent. From the fences bearing Arctic Monkeys’ now trademark soundwave artwork, to the slicked-back Eddie Munster hair and impossibly highfashion blazer sported by the frontman, it’s immediately evident just how massive a deal these gigs are. In essence, the recent remarks from US tour notso- pals The Orwells on the quartet’s similarities to massive boybands are entirely correct: a production this immense can’t be scripted on the back of a beer can.

That's not to suggest it's entirely as-you-were. '505' creeps its way in to the set proper, recent single 'Arabella' gets itself a huge breakdown courtesy of Black Sabbath, 'Knee Socks' gains a dark and spooky makeover, and while 'No. 1 Party Anthem' sounded strangely like an ode to Primal Scream during last year's festival run, this time around it's a full-on 'Hey Jude' style hug-a-long.

So after the solo acoustic 'A Certain Romance' to open an inevitable encore, then the extended wig-out duo of 'One For The Road' and 'I Wanna Be Yours', it's back to the bombast of 'R U Mine?', the long walk out of the arena and – predictably enough - countless football chants. Half of the band's crowning glory thus far, it might be a set that leant heavily on their latest material, but when you're imere nches away from a full-on Elvis impersonation, it's possible that line about being from Rotherham could highlight more than a tinge of irony.

Tags: Arctic Monkeys, Reviews, Live Reviews

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