Arctic Monkeys at Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Photo Credit: Valerie Lee
Last touring Australia in 2019, Arctic Monkeys have returned to our shores for both festival appearances and their own series of headline shows, centred around their latest release and seventh album The Car. Bringing their new critically acclaimed songs alongside their back catalogue of indie-bops, the Sheffield band delivered an indie-rock spectacular.
Both their previous tour with Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino and their latest releases are strong departures from the high-energy indie-rock that first brought the band into the spotlight, preferring orchestral arrangements and ‘lounge pop’ which adds an extra element to their live show in an otherwise guns-blazing performance.
Having seen the band each time they’ve journeyed to Melbourne since their 2012 performance at Festival Hall during the Suck It and See era, we couldn’t have been more excited to see Alex Turner and co performing back-to-back sold-out shows at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for their first stand-alone headline shows of 2023.
The night commenced with a Welcome to Country from Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Di who gave an impassioned speech to the packed crowd, which focused on the rules of Bunjil the creator around respecting the land, respecting each other, and looking after our children and future leaders.
Supporting the lads on their tour dates in Melbourne were Mildlife, a Melbourne-based psychedelic jazz-fusion group, who performed tracks from their two albums Phase and Automatic. Fresh off touring around the world, the four-piece band brought the funk with a fun blend of trippy vocals, instrumental solos, strong synth beats and ripping multi-neck guitar riffs. Our favourite tracks from their set included Zwango Zip, Automatic and The Magnificent Moon.
Before long, it was time for the Arctic Monkeys to take flight. Wearing his trademark sunglasses, Turner has an almost immediate commanding presence as he rolls into new track Sculptures of Anything Goes as a slow introduction, before launching immediately into high energy tracks Brianstorm and AM fave Snap Out Of It. The stripped-back set design allowed for all the focus to be placed on the band and frontman Alex Turner, and the minimalist production pulls attention to every word that is carefully and deliberately enunciated in each song.
Addressing the crowd for the first time in the evening, we hear Turner exclaim, ‘Good evening, everybody’ as he wastes no time in moving straight into Crying Lightning, Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair, and Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? – all of which involved elevated levels of crowd participation, singing and dancing.
The brilliance of Arctic Monkeys’ live performance comes from the strength of each standalone album – performing an equal amount of hits from their latest The Car and Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, older favourites Humbug and Favourite Worst Nightmare and the career-defining AM. Playing Four Out of Five, Arabella, Potion Approaching, and The Car in the middle of the set had something for everyone, and there was never a lacklustre moment.
Crowd participation at a Monkeys gig is mandatory; from the lights of every mobile during Cornerstone, to the crowd-wide sing-a-longs during Do I Wanna Know? Throughout the night, Turner commented on the vibe with ‘It’s really a party atmosphere’ and ‘Enjoying ourselves, are we?’ during Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino track One Point Perspective.
The crowd went wild for Teddy Picker, with Turner stating ‘Another excellent moment’ before going straight into I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor – which received the wild reception it deserves. Closing out the set with Pretty Visitors, Do Me a Favour and Body Paint, we were told ‘it’s been a really good time, thank you for that.’
As we approached the end of the night and the band returned for their encore, Arctic Monkeys led into There’d Better Be a Mirrorball – our favourite from their latest album, as we took note of the large disco ball hung high above the stage. Closing out with R U Mine? with the sold-out crowd singing along without missing a beat, the set’s final track 505 (with a new arrangement) was performed as we partied the night away. With a kiss and a wave goodbye, that was that, and the Monkeys departed.
You’d better believe that we will be heading out to see their performance again the following night, and appreciate Arctic Monkeys providing us with the perfect start to 2023.
Tour Details: All details of the Frontier Touring East Coast Outdoor Headline Shows for Arctic Monkeys can be found at frontiertouring.com/arcticmonkeys.