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Arctic Monkeys Guides

Early Years

Fans across the world can't get enough of The Arctic Monkeys. However, it was barely ten years ago that these pop stars were teenagers plunking away at their guitars.

Although they're international superstars today, The Arctic Monkeys music odyssey began as a simple school lark. Front man Alex Turner and lead guitarist Jamie Cook both took an interest in music and received guitars as a Christmas present in late 2001. With the help of a few school mates Matt Helders on drums Andy Nicholson on bass, the quartet took their first steps into music making.

What began as a simple lark would eventually grow into much more. As the group began to take their music more seriously, their sound began to solidify. The foursome wrote their own music and found practice space in the Yellow Arch Studios. By June of 2003, the Arctic Monkeys had scored their first gig at “The Grapes”, a preforming venue in Sheffield. With the confidence that live performance instills, the young musicians began recording demo tracks and handing them out for free at subsequent performances.

Credited as one of the first bands to really take advantage of the new digital millennium, the Arctic Monkeys fan base didn't spread from clubs and street teams but word of mouth over the internet. The free CDs found their way onto peer-to-peer music sharing sites, making the bands sound easily accessible. As their popularity began to grow, fans took it a step further. A group of industrious Arctic Monkey fans created a MySpace page for the group featuring a number of their songs all in one convenient place.

Meanwhile, the band was also gaining traction in England using more traditional methods. BBC Radio took notice of the group's growing popularity and began to give them significant radio play. As their popularity increased, so too did the Arctic Monkey's popularity as a live show. Regularly bringing in sell out crowds, their concerts were amazingly well attended for a band that had no publishing deal.

In fact, the band was reluctant to ever sign a contract. Their success had come on their own terms without any interference from music executives or marketing experts. However, in summer of 2005, the Arctic Monkeys signed with Domino. Assured autonomy over their own music, the group was officially associated with a major label and began work on their first album.

Their first single, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” was released. Reaching number one on the charts, the Arctic Monkeys had a bona fide hit on their hands. As January 2006 release date for their first album loomed, fan demand reached a fever pitch. Eventually, Domino announced that the band's first CD, “Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not” would be released early due to popular demand.

The group did indeed have a hit on their hands. The Arctic Monkeys first album quickly became the fastest selling freshman album in UK history. With a hit record under the belts, the boys were on the road to continued success.

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Band Members / Partnerships

The Arctic Monkeys, outside of a few small changes, have had a remarkably consistent lineup. But just who are these average men turned superstars?

As of today, the band consists of four members: Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, and Nick O'Malley. Their original bassist, Andy Nicholson parted ways with the group in 2006. The original members were all high school mates who decided to create a band and were able to strike it big.

Alex Turner – Like the rest of the Arctic Monkeys, Turner is originally from Sheffield. He currently resides with his girlfriend in Brooklyn, New York. The vocal front band for the group as well as playing guitar, Turner has been vital to the Arctic Monkeys continued success. As the main songwriter, Turner has been responsible for the true to life lyrics that have made The Arctic Monkeys both a popular and critical success.

Although a major influence on the band, Turner is not a glory hog. Notoriously camera shy, the front man is reluctant to take too much credit for the bands success. Instead, he often diverts attention to his fellow members.

When not working with the rest of The Arctic Monkeys, he co-heads a The Last Shadow Puppets with fellow singer James Ford. This small group has produced an album and several popular singles. Although there have only been a handful of live shows, The Last Shadow Puppets continue to work together in their spare time.

Jamie Cook - Notoriously outspoken guitarist Jamie Cook is in many ways the public face of The Arctic Monkeys. Unlike perpetually reclusive Alex Turner, Cook is more than happy to speak with reporters, whether they like what he has to say or not.

Although he has an open adversarial relationship with the media, Cook is often the band member most likely to make the news. Along with Turner, Cook recruited the rest of the original members of the band and his energy and enthusiasm have been imperative for the band's continued success.

Matt Helders - Drummer Matt Helders is one of the most musically accomplished members of The Arctic Monkeys. One of the original members, Helders not only drums, but he is a successful guitar player, DJ, and has worked on several different side projects on his own and with others.

His solo DJ work has resulted in one album thus far. His DJ work has also led him to work with Mongrel, led by former Arctic Monkeys band mate Andy Nicholson. Mongrel released their first album in 2009 and will be touring within the year.

If his diverse music career wasn't enough, Helders also helms his own clothing line in 2007.

Nick O'Malley - Hired to replace bassist Andy Nicholson while he recovered from stress related ailments, O'Malley later became a permanent member of the band. Previously working with The Dodgems (now Elephant Keys), O'Malley has been one of the hardest working members of the band.

Andy Nicholson (Former Member) – Another one of the school aged chums who founded the band, Nicholson was the original basis for the Arctic Monkeys. Nicholson split from the band in June 2006. Since then, he's been working as a DJ in his native Sheffield in addition to his work headlining the band Mongrels.

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Discography

Although a relatively young band, The Arctic Monkeys have been one of the most prolific bands of the decade. With three albums and two EPs, the band has been producing records at a break neck speed.

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Five Minutes with the Arctic Monkeys (EP) – With only two songs, Five Minutes was more about producing work and reintroducing themselves to the commercial marketplace. Only 3500 total copies were ever produces.

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Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not – The Monkey's debut album, this astronomically popular album vaulted the band to international stardom. Featuring hit singles like When The Sun Goes Down, this album sold over 300,000 copies in its first week.

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Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? (EP) – Although not a full length album, this was the band's second major release. Rougher around the edges, the songs on this release saw less radio play but still garnered the band plenty of critical and fan appreciation. •

Favorite Worst Nightmare – Featuring a heavier sound, this album was yet another instant success for the Arctic Monkeys. Winner of the 2007 Mercury award and recipient of the 2008 BRIT award for best album.

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Humbug – The Arctic Monkeys most recent album, released August 24 2009. Although it hasn't had quite the meteoric success of their first two albums, the first week sales solidly classify it as a palpable hit. Recorded entirely in America, Queens of the Stone Age lead Josh Homme produced.

Although no announcement has been made regarding their next album, history should lead fans to believe that The Arctic Monkeys can't stay out of the studio for too long.

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Awards

Although only a few years old, The Arctic Monkeys have already received a plethora of awards and honours since the bands inception. Among the accolades the band has received are five BRIT awards, two Grammy nominations, a Mercury Prize, and many, many more.

The Arctic Monkeys have become a common sight at the BRIT awards. Since their first nomination and win in 2006 for Best Breakthrough Band, the Monkeys won a major award for three years running. Receiving Best Album award for both “Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not” and “Favorite Worst Nightmare”, the BRIT awards has recognized the band on five separate occasions.

Among the most prestigious awards The Arctic Monkeys have been nominated for is the annual Mercury Award. With only one winner per year, the competition is always tight. Nominated twice, their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was the winner in 2006. So far, the band has been nominated for all eligible releases.

The United States has also honoured The Arctic Monkeys, nominating them for two Grammy awards in 2006. The band lost the Best Alternative Album to Gnarls Barkley and Best Rock Instrumental to the Flaming Lips.

NME magazine has also heaped the praise on the boys. The annual NME Awards have seen The Arctic Monkeys nominated fourteen times with eleven wins. Likewise, they have seen similar success with Q magazine, winning album of the year and the “Best Act in the World Today” award.

With so many regular releases, it is likely that The Arctic Monkeys will find themselves up at the podium many more times before they've called it quits. Already there's a positive buzz surrounding their most recent album, Humbug. For now, the band is content with touring and promoting, and eventually recording new material.

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