Spring Break
Arctic Monkeys live up to hype
Caity Cudworth
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Entertainment
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The Arctic Monkeys have a knack for song writing, crafting hooky songs about drunken nights, bar fights, and prostitutes … the little things in life that make the world go round. The lyrics are witty in a Catcher in the Rye sort of way - lots of talk of "fakers" and "posers" (otherwise known as "phonies"), with a few bar-fights, and one-night stands thrown in for good measure. So, you can see why it appeals to the kids.
The band was tightest on "Fluorescent Adolescent," a song which encourages girls to be whores before they're old and have kids and stuff. "You used to get it in your fishnets / now you only get it in your nightdress / abandoned all your naughty nights for niceness / landed in a very common crisis."
"Mardy Bum" was also a crowd-pleaser, an upbeat ska-style song, riddled with jangly guitars. I had assumed that this song was about a hobo, but a little research, uncovered that "Mardy Bum" doesn't really have anything to do with bums. It's actually Brit-speak for someone who complains a lot.
Although, I guess technically the song could still be about a hobo. Hobos are rarely satisfied.
The Arctic Monkeys closed out the show with "View from the Afternoon," a heady, up-tempo tune that unraveled into a blur of thrashing guitars. The band didn't play an encore despite the chorus of high-pitched squeals.
Overall, the performance was good. The music was brisk and punchy and there were enough strobe lights to kill an Epileptic. So, in that regard, I'd say it was a pretty quality show.
The Arctic Monkeys are, it seems, truly an endangered species: An over-hyped band that manages, against all odds, to live up to the same hype that makes it really popular with 14-year-olds.
The band was tightest on "Fluorescent Adolescent," a song which encourages girls to be whores before they're old and have kids and stuff. "You used to get it in your fishnets / now you only get it in your nightdress / abandoned all your naughty nights for niceness / landed in a very common crisis."
"Mardy Bum" was also a crowd-pleaser, an upbeat ska-style song, riddled with jangly guitars. I had assumed that this song was about a hobo, but a little research, uncovered that "Mardy Bum" doesn't really have anything to do with bums. It's actually Brit-speak for someone who complains a lot.
Although, I guess technically the song could still be about a hobo. Hobos are rarely satisfied.
The Arctic Monkeys closed out the show with "View from the Afternoon," a heady, up-tempo tune that unraveled into a blur of thrashing guitars. The band didn't play an encore despite the chorus of high-pitched squeals.
Overall, the performance was good. The music was brisk and punchy and there were enough strobe lights to kill an Epileptic. So, in that regard, I'd say it was a pretty quality show.
The Arctic Monkeys are, it seems, truly an endangered species: An over-hyped band that manages, against all odds, to live up to the same hype that makes it really popular with 14-year-olds.
