The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

15 years ago, the Arctic Monkeys exploded in the face of the world

2021-01-23T13:16:28.986Z


On January 23, 2006, four kids from the north of England hit the UK charts with a first album in the form of "instant classic". We take a look back at the meteoric rise of a pioneering group.


Assured allure and suave dandy voice, the time when Alex Turner and his band shouted saturated youthful hymns seems a long time ago.

While the four of Sheffield are currently working, according to their manager, on a seventh studio album, the year 2021 also celebrates the 15 years of

Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not

, the group's first incendiary record and first hit. shine from the impact of the internet.

Read also: The new era of Arctic Monkeys

The case was however badly embarked on.

Wiping the refusals of many record companies, the Arctic Monkeys have created, without knowing it, a little notoriety online.

Distributing their demos for free at the exit after their concerts, the group quickly found itself shared on MySpace, the precursor of Facebook and the essential site of the beginning of the millennium.

Word of mouth works.

Enough to catch the eye of Domino Records, who finally signed them, and to fill the 2000 places of the London Astoria in the process.

It's 2005, and online promotion is still marginal, de facto making Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Andy Nicholson precursors of the genre.

They will be surprised by the result.

They weren't expecting '

it to be this fast

“, The group confided to

Le Figaro

the following year.

"

Do not Believe The Hype

" ( "

do not trust the hype

"), timidly announced the frontman in the video for their first single,

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor

.

But there is nothing to be done, the “

hype

” continues to rise around the quartet.

Their budding hit made a sensational debut at number one on the charts.

The following

When The Sun Goes Down will

meet the same fate.

On January 23, 2006 finally released

Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not

.

As a good product of his environment, Alex Turner brilliantly narrates the lives of his contemporaries, dusting without ape the writing of Ray Davies, Morrissey or Jarvis Cocker, less social commentary.

The "

Common People

" are at the center of each title, all written in the first person, with a first effort transpiring the reality of the moment.

Everything is elegantly set on sharp guitars and relentless melodies, as effective in the studio as in concert.

The influences are there, but seem digested, or even ignored.

There's an Arctic Monkeys sound, clever, bouncy pentatonic riffs, backed up by a thundering bass and, it should be noted, excellent playing from drummer Matt Helders.

Awaited by the fans,

Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not

will cause a real tidal wave the day of its release.

120,000 copies will pass in 24 hours, then more than 360,000 in a week.

The best start for a band's first album in British music history.

A happy start for these four representatives of the middle class barely out of adolescence.

"

This is the first time that peer-to-peer stars have gained such a foothold in the 'real' music industry,

" wrote a journalist from

Le Figaro at the time

.

15 years later, “

peer-to-peer

” has become streaming, “

the“ real ”music industry

” has been exported online, but the “

stars

” are still there.

Source: lefigaro

All life articles on 2021-01-23

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-10T05:24:47.590Z
Life/Entertain 2024-02-05T00:20:19.136Z
News/Politics 2024-02-28T16:25:16.215Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.