Arctic Monkeys are a distinctly British phenomenon, and judging by their audience, this band formed in Sheffield in 2002 surpasses other music groups from the UK. I never expected to see so many young people at Globen, where they performed last on April 19th. The concert was sold out months in advance, and among the nearly 14,500 attendees, the majority were in their twenties, likely born around the time when Alex Turner first started to gain fame. It was heartwarming to see.
The band began their European tour on April 24th in Austria, and Stockholm was their fourth stop. They opened with the song “Sculpture of Anything Goes” from their latest album, “The Car”, which was released in October of last year.
Frontman Alex Turner entered the stage in an unbuttoned shirt, scarf, and sunglasses, giving off the vibe of an eccentric movie star from the elegant 1960s. His suit silhouette and wild hairstyle evoked the poseur pop-star image. With a confident entrance and an intense gaze over the audience, he had the arena in his hand from the very beginning, and the crowd began screaming for the first but not last time.
The scenography transported us back to the early Bond films mixed with French noir, where there was always a cigarette burning in the ashtray. I could almost smell the tobacco.
The concert lasted for an hour and thirty-nine minutes, during which they played 21 songs, including three encores. They performed some of their new songs as well as their biggest hits. The crowd appeared to be enjoying the show, particularly when they started playing the classics – “Arabella” and “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”.
Setlist of songs played in Stockholm:
Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
There’d Better Be a Mirrorball
Suck It and See
Fluorescent Adolescent
Encore:
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Supporting band was Inhaler, a group from Dublin.
More about their European tour:
Big thanks to the gig promotor Luger:
