Ahhh so this is now confirmed then. :heehee:

 

I'd heard rumours of them doing a new secret gig a couple of days ago. There'll be a live DVD though which should be great!!! :D

Arctics Manc Triumph

The band play surprise end of year show

 

18 Dec 2007| Ending what's been another incredible year for the band (one that’s included a number one album and a Glastonbury headlining slot) Arctic Monkeys played their final show of 2007 at the Manchester Apollo yesterday evening.

 

The gig was only announced last weekend and there was a mad rush for tickets which were limited to just 2 per person.

 

In an act of seasonal generosity, some fans were gifted tickets from the band personally after seeing them play the Manchester Gmex on last week. Speaking to 6 Music, one said,

 

“We came to see them last Wednesday [December 12] at the G Mex and went backstage to try and talk to the band like we always do. We spoke to Alex for a minute and told him we’d seen them a few times, he went back on the tour bus and this bloke came out and said, Alex has told me to come and have a word with you. He asked for our emails, saying ‘I can’t say much about it now, but I’ll let you know’. He emailed us over the weekend, and we’re on the guestlist!”

 

First up on the bill were band’s close friends The Rascals who played a confident support set, which featured a surprise appearance by Alex Turner.

 

The Arctic Monkeys themselves arrived and performed an energetic romp through a 22 song set that included tracks from both their albums and a handful of rarely played B-sides like Da Frame 2r and Plastic Tramp.

 

Notably, the band seemed relaxed and appeared to be enjoying themselves, with a surprising amount of banter emanating from their famously shy front man.

 

There was one more collaboration to come thought, with a grand finale encore featuring none other than fellow Sheffield musical compare Richard Hawley, who joined the band for a bluesy duet of ‘Bad Woman’

 

As promised by the band, Warp Films – who collaborated with Arctic Monkeys to produce the 'Scummy Man' short film – were in attendance documenting the show, which will appear as a DVD release sometime next year.

 

The full set list was:

 

Brianstorm

This House Is A Circus

Teddypicker

Dancefloor

Dancing Shoes

Ritz To The Rubble

Fake Tales Of San Francisco

Balaclava

When The Sun Goes Down

Nettles

D Is For Danger

Leave Before The Lights Come On

Fluorescent Adolescent

Still Take You Home

Da Frame 2r

Plastic Tramp

505

Do Me A Favour

Certain Romance

 

Encore

 

Bad Woman (featuring Richard Hawley)

View From The Afternoon

If You Were There Beware

 

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GU review: Arctic Monkeys

Marc Rowlands | Tuesday December 18, 2007 | Guardian Unlimited

Venue: Manchester Apollo | Size of crowd: 3500

 

 

 

Dress code| The gritters are out in the sub-zero temperatures and bearing in mind this is Levenshulme, Manchester it's unsurprising to find everyone is wearing hooded tops. Queues of fans waiting to pick up tickets shelter their wind-whipped ears with flimsy sport hoods; even the security wear hoodies (coupled in one bizarre instance with three quarter length shorts). Inside layers of unsuitable winter wear are shorn, some tossed above the heads of the seething mosh pit, revealing thin T-shirts that will be soaked through come the finale. The band themselves look to have dressed in similarly unconsidered style, except their shirts look undoubtedly newer. Front man Alex Turner sports a casual V-neck jumper and collared T-shirt combo that, if it wasn't for the tightness of his jeans, would be approved of by any C&A catalogue-admiring mum.

 

In summary| After a frantic year of touring stadium sized venues, Arctic Monkeys play one final gig to bid farewell to the year. Announced just days ago, with limited tickets available only in Manchester and Sheffield, it's an uber-fan's dream gig and a rare chance to see the country's biggest young band in the relatively intimate confines of a 3,500-capacity theatre. Considering the extent of the touring just undertaken the band look surprisingly energetic, their manner is relaxed and their performance superbly polished.

 

Highlight| Debut album favourites like When The Sun Goes Down, Still Take You Home and monstrous single I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor are rapturously received. Turner's insightful, often barbed lyrics roll effortlessly from his lips only to be returned by the roaring mass who hang on every word. Tracks from their more recent sophomore effort are no less well accepted with Teddy Picker an early highlight and 505 executed deftly with cohort Miles Kane on guitar. Non album track Leave Before The Lights Come On is terrific, and though it's nice to see Richard Hawley join them for a rendition of 'Bad Woman', tonight is really all about the star turns.

 

Talking point| The quality of sound at the gig is so impressive, with Matt Helders drums shaking the venue's very foundations and Nick O'Malley's bass a satisfying, stomach-felt growl, that it's disappointing to realize this is perhaps one of the last times we'll see the scamps play in such a comparatively small space. For all of the money expended on the stadium-sized lights that lie behind them, the flash suits them none too well, appearing almost frivolous.

 

Marks out of ten| 9

 

Where next| It's no more easy to predict the future for Arctic Monkeys now than it was following the release of debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which some cited as a one-off fluke. This year's second album release has proved them wrong and Alex Turner appears to be every bit the generation spokesman that Paul Weller was when fronting The Jam. It would come as little surprise to find this songsmith's career heading off in as varied and lengthy a fashion.

Excellent setlist! Richard Hawley as well! ^_^

 

I'm still suprised that If You Were There, Beware was the set closer though. :\

im gonna try and see them next year :cheer:

im gonna try and see them next year :cheer:

 

Me too. :w00t:

 

If the Kane and Turner sideproject is quite good too, I wanna go and see that too. ^_^