Q. Will Arctic Monkeys make it to Glastonbury for their headline set??!!
A. Yes.

And there’s a massive crowd here to welcome them! KS pic.twitter.com/E7xiUGoumX

— Glastonbury Live (@GlastoLive) June 23, 2023

Perhaps rumours of frontman Alex Turner’s acute laryngitis- forcing the group to cancel on what is arguably Britain’s largest platform- were exaggerated to say the least but the apprehension the possibility caused was proof enough of how much the Arctic Monkeys mean to the hundreds of thousands strong at Worthy Farm.

And Turner was in fine vocal form. Amidst the dark, brooding opening notes of “Sculptures of Anything Goes,” the band slowly emerged within the smoke filtered lights of the stage-any doubts that Turner himself might not be operating at 100% quickly banished with immediate effect. Like many infamous acts through the ages, it is perhaps the strength and mere presence of the band’s frontman that have set them apart and earned their lofty position on Glastonbury’s hallowed stage.

Getting the crowd well and truly hyped, the Arctic Monkeys quickly moved into “Brainstorm” and Glastonbury was ready to rock. But it may be because Turner commands the stage as a character, an almost caricature-like alter ego of his real self that sometimes feels as if the audience is just slightly removed from being in on the act. Evident every time Turner would take a quick minute to address the crowd-his silky cool, almost flippant comments ringing a bit hollow with the adoring crowd-it could be felt that the Arctic Monkeys viewed their position in the Glastonbury ranks as just another set.

What cannot be denied is the band are dead set on doing things their way with a set list that mixed time honoured hits with crowd lulling tunes such as “Crying Lightning” whose, if one didn’t know better, muted response would have many wondering if members of the audience stole a quick toilet break or made a quick dash for refreshments.

Thoughts on Arctic Monkeys Glastonbury set? pic.twitter.com/l0j180e6ZV — The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) June 23, 2023

Of course the crowd were with the band-it is an Arctic Monkeys headlining set at Glastonbury and the band duly treated the masses with fan favourites “Do I Wanna Know?” and “Mardy Bum” before a rousing encore finishing with “R U Mine?”

Headlining Glastonbury is, quite literally, rock royalty and although the Arctic Monkeys have taken pains over the last few years to distance themselves somewhat from their chart topping alt-rock anthems to dwell instead on more sweeping introspective tunes, one cannot help but feel that, at least on stage, the setlist comes across occasionally as uneven.

Many have expressed the feeling that Arctic Monkeys may not have delivered an era defining chest-thumping set that will see them go down in Glastonbury history, but fans will surely have not left the Pyramid Stage disappointed either.

Arctic Monkeys Cancel Dublin Show Due to Illness Ahead of Glastonbury Performancehttps://t.co/AtOIvhqz24#articmonkeys #illness #cancelation #show #alexturner pic.twitter.com/NOW3qi2GKz

— Raymond Flotat (@mxdwn) June 20, 2023

The vocal ailment has the potential to completely sideline the band, as it has now emerged that the Sheffield Indie rock heroes may have to pull the plug on their appearance at the hallowed grounds in Somerset. The group have already cancelled their Dublin show on Tuesday and fans are understandably nervous that Arctic Monkeys may have to give Glastonbury a miss as well.

In an effort to quell the anxiety over what is arguably one of the most eagerly awaited performances, co-organiser Emily Eavis has shared her belief that things will turn out just fine. Speaking to reporters outside Glastonbury’s gates, she said, “I think we are going to be alright. They’ve cancelled that [Dublin show], he’s recovering. I’m sure we’re going to be alright.” 

| Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis has back-up plan if Arctic Monkeys are forced to cancel More below pic.twitter.com/iUwB5OHbMY — LADbible (@ladbible) June 22, 2023

In a worst case scenario, the festival seems to have contingency plans in place with Eavis declaring that there are always back up plans. With such a sprawling festival that gathers around 210,000 fans, plan Bs have to be well organised should the rare event happen that a band cannot play. So, festival goers can rest easy that no matter what happens, Glastonbury will be sure to please.

And the festival is often full of surprises. Only days ago it was announced that The Pretenders would be doing a surprise set on the Park Stage and rumours have been rife that none other than  legendary American superstars, the Foo Fighters would be making a surprise appearance. In fact, many have speculated that it will be the Dave Grohl fronted mega band that will replace Arctic Monkeys should that come to pass. Eavis has remained mum on the topic however.

All of this could (and most likely will) be moot however, as according to The Independent on Thursday evening, Turner is fine and fully intends to lead the Arctic Monkeys out onto the Pyramid Stage to fulfil their headlining slot. The thousands of fans thronging the Glastonbury festival grounds will certainly be keeping their fingers crossed that this turns out to be true.

The Arctic Monkeys are at the end of their UK and Ireland tour with special guests The Hives and the Mysterines. Besides their Glastonbury set, the band have one date left-in Glasgow on Sunday.

Arctic Monkeys UK and Ireland Tour:

23/06/2023 – Glastonbury Festival – Somerset
25/06 – Bellahouston Park – Glasgow

This is the fourth music video to be released from The Car, the band’s seventh studio album released in October 2022. Watch the video here:

“Sculptures of Anything Goes” is the latest single from the critically acclaimed album. A distinct break away from the band’s indie rock roots, the album continues where Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino left off with its piano-oriented experimental pieces.

The video hones in on the new lounge rock feel that Arctic Monkeys are channelling these days with its colourful palette and abstract shots of the band both in rehearsals and performing the song on tour.

Moving on from his Teddy-boy style days that became iconic during the peak of A.M. mania, Alex Turner has matured in aesthetic in a way that goes hand in hand with the band’s change in musical direction.

The video was directed by Ben Chapell with Matthew Cronin as editor.

The video has largely been met with positivity with Twitter user @RuzannaBlack declaring it to be a “masterpiece.”

Sculptures of anything goes music video is a masterpiece.
That’s it. Send Tweet.

— Amarikacin (@RuzannaBlack) March 6, 2023

  Another fan took to Twitter to state that the song is ‘perfect, overcomplicated, weird and poetic.’

i wasn’t sure why they chose sculptures of anything goes as the new single, but now that i spent more time with the song, i get it. it’s that perfect, overcomplicated, weird and poetic thing i love alex for pic.twitter.com/hqf3kKKV9w — Anna (slow)⁷ (@vadjokakivadjok) March 7, 2023

The Car has without a doubt been Arctic Monkey’s most polarising album yet. The album received critical acclaim, with NME awarding it ‘Album of the Year,’ declaring it to be “the band’s most adventurous album, but also their most open-hearted, striking a perfect balance between subversion and tenderness.”

The first single released from the album, “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball” was nominated for a Best Alternative Music Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and was listed in The Guardian’s 20 Best Songs of 2022.

However, some fans were disappointed to find the band once again distancing themselves from the indie rock sounds of Favourite Worst Nightmare and Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

One fan wanted to ‘bin’ the album upon hearing it’s similarities to Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

One song into the new Arctic Monkeys album and can already tell it’s every bit as shit as their last album was.

Bin.#TheCar

— Louthdog (@Louthdog) October 21, 2022

Another fan called out the fact that the album was far less of a collaborative band effort than usual, with Alex Turner being credited as the sole writer for seven of the ten tracks.

Only three songs on #TheCar are listed as being @ArcticMonkeys songs. So the rest of the band didn’t want their name on the other seven. Maybe they think it’s a shit album too. — Ste (@SABrack84) October 21, 2022

“Sculptures of Anything Goes” was a team effort from Turner and Jamie Cook however and has largely been praised for its maturity as a track.

Arctic Monkeys are set to tour the UK and Ireland in 2023. Find tickets here.

29/05/2023 – Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol

31/05/2023 – Building Society Arena – Coventry

02/06/2023-03/06/2023 – Emirates Old Trafford – Manchester

07/06/2023 – Carrow Road Stadium – Norwich

09/06/2023-10/06/2023 – Hillsborough Park – Sheffield

12/06/2023 – Swansea.com Stadium – Swansea

14/06/2023 – The Ageas Bowl – Southampton

16/06/2023-18/06/2023 – Emirates Stadium – London

20/06/2023 – Malahide Castle – Dublin

25/06/2023 – Bellahouston Park – Glasgow

Stream The Car here.

Tickets for Arctic Monkeys 2023 UK/Ireland tour are set to go on general sale next Friday (September 30) at 9am BST and you can purchase yours here. Though fans can get early access pre-sale tickets at the same time on Thursday (29) by pre-ordering their seventh studio album The Car from here.

Arctic Monkeys announce their 2023 UK & Ireland Tour with special guests @TheHives & @TheMysterines. Tickets go on sale 30 Sept at 9am. Fan pre-sale begins on 29 Sept at 9am. Pre-order ‘The Car’ from the bands webstore to get access. For more info visit https://t.co/6BDFhmmRyS pic.twitter.com/1PdSCBWmsa

— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) September 23, 2022

These current dates would mean that Arctic Monkeys are still free to headline Glastonbury Festival 2023 on either the Friday (June 23) or Saturday (24). The band first formed back in 2002 have been rumoured to be making a return to Worthy Farm next summer. An unnamed source told the Sun “Alex Turner and the band are coming back to Glastonbury, and this time their set is going to be even bigger and better. The lads have signed on the dotted line and will return to the Pyramid Stage next June.” They are also set to hit the road in late May in support of their latest album, out on October 21, 2022 via Domino. Kicking off at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium on May 29, the run will also include outdoor concerts in Manchester, Middlesbrough, Norwich, Swansea, Southampton, Dublin and Glasgow.

Recently (September 22) Arctic Monkeys also performed an intimate gig in Brooklyn, New York. During the special show, the group gave their recent comeback single “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” its live debut, you can view the music video for the track below. They also treated the crowd to a pair of unreleased cuts “Body Paint” and “Mr Schwartz” from their upcoming album as well as “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am”, another new song that was first played last month.

Arctic Monkeys’ 2023 UK/Ireland Tour:

29/05/23 Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol
31/05 Building Society Arena – Coventry
02/06 Emirates Old Trafford – Manchester
05/06 Riverside Stadium – Middlesbrough
07 /06 Carrow Road Stadium – Norwich
09/06 Hillsborough Park – Sheffield
10/06 Hillsborough Park – Sheffield
12/06 Swansea.com Stadium – Swansea
14/06 The Ageas Bowl – Southampton
16/06 Emirates Stadium – London
17/06 Emirates Stadium – London
20/06 Marlay Park – Dublin
25/06 Bellahouston Park – Glasgow

Whether or not you’re an Alex Turner superfan, there aren’t many people that would be willing to argue against the fact that Arctic Monkeys are one of the most successful, and beloved, bands in the UK today. So, when they began to pop up on festival bills around Europe, many were preparing for a new record. Their first live show since 2019, in Turkey, brought a few hidden gems back to the surface – “Potion Approaching” was played for the first time since 2011 – but there were still no signs of new music. Suck It And See’s “That’s Where You’re Wrong” also popped up in Prague the following week – the first time since 2013. But still, the prospect of new music was kept very much on the down low.

Arctic Monkeys performed their first UK show since 2018 last weekend at Reading and Leeds Festival. It was an appearance that many fans were particularly excited for after Turner proclaimed that he and the band would be “shuffling the deck” concerning which songs would be making it onto the show’s setlists. The band are set to headline the pair of festivals alongside a whole host of significant names – Megan Thee Stallion, Dave, Halsey, Bring Me The Horizon, and most recently The 1975 who are replacing Rage Against The Machine. The festival had to make some last-minute changes last week after Måneskin and Jack Harlow pulled out to play the MTV VMAs. They were later replaced by AJ Tracey and Charli XCX.

While there is still no official information on a full-blown Arctic Monkeys UK tour, the standard album rollout procedure pretty much guarantees that we’ll be getting some news pretty soon. They are however in the midst of a pretty extensive tour of the European festival circuit, so if you’re in a desperate need to catch the band before the official tour rolls out, you can find full information here.

The new album from Arctic Monkeys, ‘The Car’ is out 21st October. Pre-order now https://t.co/QWACEVpsAr pic.twitter.com/rImMFpEL0b

— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) August 24, 2022

Whether or not you’re an Alex Turner superfan, there aren’t many people that would be willing to argue against the fact that Arctic Monkeys are one of the most successful, and beloved, bands in the UK today. So, when they began to pop up on festival bills around Europe, many were preparing for a new record. Their first live show since 2019, in Turkey, brought a few hidden gems back to the surface – “Potion Approaching” was played for the first time since 2011 – but there were still no signs of new music. Suck It And See’s “That’s Where You’re Wrong” also popped up in Prague the following week – the first time since 2013. But still, the prospect of new music was kept very much on the down low.

The initial response to TBHAC in 2018 was an odd one. A sci-fi concept album set on the moon… it’s all very different to what we were expecting, many never came to terms with the album’s high concept even to this date. But, in a press release, Turner commented “On this record, sci-fi is off the table. We are back to earth.” At the moment, this could be good or bad news. “I think we’ve got closer to a better version of a more dynamic overall sound with this record. The strings on this record come in and out of focus and that was a deliberate move and hopefully everything has its own space. There’s time the band comes to the front and then the strings come to the front.” The single snippet of the new album we’ve heard so far has definitely maintained the very relaxed dynamic of TBHAC but features some more funky elements that you can hear for yourself in some fan-shot footage from last night’s show.

Arctic Monkeys are set to headline Reading and Leeds Festival this weekend alongside a whole host of significant names – Megan Thee Stallion, Dave, Halsey, Bring Me The Horizon, and most recently The 1975 who are replacing Rage Against The Machine. The festival had to make some last-minute changes last week after Måneskin and Jack Harlow pulled out to play the MTV VMAs. They were later replaced by AJ Tracey and Charli XCX.

The album entitled Change The Show is the singer’s fourth studio album and is set for release on January 21st. The singer explained that he wrote the album during the lockdown and stated that the album was created from “An intense period of self-reflection”.

As well as a solo artist, the singer is also the co-frontman for the band The Last Shadow Puppets formed in 2007 with Alex Turner. The singer achieved two UK number 1 albums with his band’s debut album The Age of The Understatement released on April 21st 2008, which was recorded in just two weeks and Everything You’ve Come To Expect released on April 1st 2016. 

The singer began his solo career in 2009 and released his solo debut album Colour of The Trap on May 6th 2011 which reached number 11 in the UK Official Albums Chart.

The singer’s single uses a sample of Paul O’Grady’s voice and has been described as a feel-good track that maintains the singer’s vintage roots. Watch the video for Miles Kane’s single “Don’t Let it Get You Down” here

Speaking about his new album his first in three years, the singer said that he was inspired by a music session that he held with the band Sunshine For Jaws. The singer said that he saw himself in Sunshine for Jaws and stated “I saw myself in their energy, but also their taste and their knowledge of music”

The singer describes the album as uplifting and expressed that he remained true to himself when recording his new album.

My brand new album ‘Change The Show’ is out 21 January 2022. Available to pre-order now https://t.co/iCzgsKKDqP pic.twitter.com/SIZ26rW8u3

— Miles Kane (@MilesKaneMusic) August 24, 2021

See the tracklist for Miles Kane’s new album Change The Show here

Tears Are Falling
Don’t Let It Get You Down
Nothing’s Ever Gonna Be Good Enough (Feat. Corinne Bailey Rae)
See Ya When I See Ya
Never Get Tired of Dancing
Tell Me What You’re Feeling
Coming of Age
Change the Show
Constantly
Caroline
Adios Ta-ra Ta-ra

WAKE TF UP ARCTIC MONKEYS ARE ALIVE pic.twitter.com/AivixFkgCU

— َ AM7!!! (@tongueinostril) August 14, 2021

Fans of the Sheffield four-piece have responded to the post, which has racked up over 1000 likes in 5 hours.

The band toured relentlessly following their 6th album release and decided to go their separate ways in 2019, following a long and successful spell of playing shows worldwide.

Due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, the band was unable to meet each other. One-half of the band resides in LA and the other half in London. In recent months, fans have debated on Twitter whether or not the Arctic Monkeys would have produced more music if it hadn’t been for the global pandemic of 2020. Drummer Matt Helders set the record straight in a podcast with Shapel Lacey, explaining that the band would have been ready to get the ball rolling again for album number 7 if it wasn’t for the global pandemic.

That said, there may be good news on the horizon for fans after all, as a new album is reportedly in the works. According to a statement taken from the Butley Priory’s website, the band has used the venue to record new material. The Priory bodes well as a venue that provides many possibilities for musicians: “Musicians love the acoustics in the Great Hall and Drawing room, with their huge vaulted ceilings.”

Nothing has been confirmed yet by the band.

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“You’re not from New York city you’re from Rotherham” Want a chance to win that very guitar Alex is playing? Not long left to enter @arcticmonkeys Crowdfunder Raffle! Just a fiver an entry for your chance to win this slice of musical history. Crowdfunder link in bio. #sheffieldissuper #arcticmonkeys #musicvenuetrust #saveourvenues

A post shared by The Leadmill, Sheffield (@theleadmill) on Aug 22, 2020 at 5:12am PDT

In order to be entered into the raffle, the minimum donation was £5. There were 14,410 tickets sold in a two-week period. People who entered the raffle also gained access to a stream of the band’s performance at Reading Festival in 2006.

The Leadmill general manager Rebecca Walker spoke to NME about the success of the raffle saying; “That’s an insane amount of money and will go so far to securing not only the bricks and mortar of venues but also their key members of staff. We so humbled and so grateful. We couldn’t thank the guys enough for listening to us and allowing us to reach out to them, but also just their generosity. To them, it’s just a guitar but to us, it’s a lifeline – it’s a matter of whether a venue can stay open or not.”

When asked about how the event even came about, she said; “Everyone in Sheffield knows someone who knows someone who knows Arctic Monkeys. You can’t go very far in the city without someone having a story about them. I happen to know someone with a connection to them so we reached out back in April and then their management said, ‘We’ve actually been speaking with them and they were asking about you guys to see if you were alright’. It was so great to know that no matter how big they get or where they are in the world, they’re still concerned with the crisis of how venues are doing back home. They were only too happy to help.”

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Thank you to everyone who has supported our Crowdfunder campaign so far and helped us reach our target of £100,000. All money raised so far and up to 6pm BST tomorrow, Tuesday 25th August will go to @theleadmill and other grassroots venues across the UK in conjunction with @musicvenuetrust. Last chance to win Alex’s Fender Guitar and get access to a screening of our performance at Reading Festival 2006. Enter by clicking the link in our bio.

A post shared by Arctic Monkeys (@arcticmonkeys) on Aug 24, 2020 at 5:00am PDT

The Arctic Monkeys were formed in Sheffield in 2002. The band has released six studio albums. Their debut album is the fastest-selling debut album by a band in UK chart history, and in 2013, Rolling Stone ranked it the 30th-greatest debut album. The band has won seven Brit Awards and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. They also won the Mercury Prize in 2006 for their debut album, in addition to receiving nominations in 2007, 2013, and 2018. The band have headlined at the Glastonbury Festival twice, in 2007 and again in 2013.

Alex Turner told me during an interview for @BBCSheffield they are coming back to Sheffield to pen a new album.. it IS happening! https://t.co/ObeO10rNmn

— Shamir Masri (@ShamirMasri) December 23, 2016

Masri tweeted several hours ago that ‘Alex Turner told me during an interview for @BBCSheffield they are coming back to Sheffield to pen a new album.. it IS happening!’ The band have been back in Sheffield for a while, with many fans (and a dad) tweeting pictures of the band in their hometown haunts. However, up to now any speculation that the band were back to produce new music rather than simply to see their families, was exactly that, speculation. For example, back in August the band’s PR were forced to issue a statement in response to photoshopped artwork tweeted by a fan which suggested the band would return to the studio in September by saying the new album wouldn’t be ‘in the very near future though (despite overkeen fans!)’ Similarly, Turner responded to a question from Radio X around the same time about whether there were plans for a new album with a fairly non-committal response, ‘No, there aren’t really, Not yet. But there will be at some point. I mean, we’ll see with that. No rush.’ However, with this tweet it appears we have confirmation, albeit indirectly, from frontman Alex Turner that the band will be returning to the studio to record in short order. There is, however, no news yet on who will be producing the album, where exactly in the Steel City it will be recorded or, perhaps most importantly, the name of the follow up to ‘AM’.

Since the band released AM the members have been engaged in a variety of side-projects, most notably, Alex Turner’s re-unification with Miles Kane to release their second album as The Last Shadow Puppets, entitled ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect.’ Despite Turner’s promise back in August that ‘the plan was to end [The Last Shadow Puppets] at the end of the summer, and I think we’ll stick to that,’ the band recently released a further EP, ‘The Dream Synopsis.’ The record contains original work as well as covers of songs originally performed by artists including Jacques Dutronc, The Fall and Leonard Cohen. They don’t have any further tour dates scheduled, however, so maybe this will mean Kane and Turner go their separate ways, at least for now. Turner wasn’t the only one to fill his break with other things, however, as Matt Helders took up with Iggy Pop for the ‘Post Pop Depression’ album and subsequent tour.

It remains to be seen whether a return to the band’s physical roots will find a musical equivalent, and produce an album more like their debut than AM, or not.