Arctic Monkeys - London Dublin Castle - 5/4/05
5/5
By: Andy Willson
Call it a sign of the times. In this day and age, it's not often you can go somewhere, anywhere even, having only spent a crumpled, moist fiver, gain entry, and walk away feeling thoroughly riveted (ask anyone who's been to see 'The Ring 2'). But, for once, the Dublin Castle tonight gave that Asda feeling. Club Fandango showcased three, new, completely different bands.
Each, naturally, with varying results. On entry, we're recommended to check out first band, Charlie Says, by some bloke with a microphone in his hand. So why not. If we were back in school, we'd probably put on their report timid suggestions - 'Could try harder' and 'Promising'. It's a great name for a band, and fortunately the singer is easier to understand than the cartoon cat in the old adverts (where we presume/would hope the name came from). But still, there's always something quite sassy about a female bass player/vocalist and Charlie Says certainly don't disappoint on that front. There's a bit of angst in there, but - in the main - it could've easily been Transvision Vamp playing. Shudder.
After a quick set-change, which includes stacks of twinkling blue lights and a projector costing all of £3 from eBay being added, next up are the equally impressively-named Eskimo Disco. It's a piece of piss to make a margarita (tequila, triple sec, lime juice, ice and a decent blender), but this is surely what you get when The Killers, Daft Punk, Human League and Donna Summer are mish-mashed to a pulp. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this wouldn't work, but you'd be way off the mark. Switching between vocal duties, the two frontmen treat us to an array of instruments, one of them even attempting to play lead and bass at the same time, which he tells us, he'd seen once in a cartoon. Little shock. The set is only half an hour but you're left wanting much, much more. Shame about the crucifixion pose towards the end, but hey.
It's at this point you suddenly realise that it's got ever so slightly busier all of a sudden, and almost everyone in attendance pummels their way to the front. With the good ship Albion sat rusting in dry dock, waiting for the crew to patch up their differences, the people need another dream to chase and they may have just found it. Bobbing and weaving through the throng to help set up are the simians from Sheffield, the four lads that make up headline act Arctic Monkeys, the ones that everyone's come to see. In this industry, you get tip-offs about certain bands and all the reports so far have been flutteringly uplifting.
The big moment. As they take the stage, the first thing uttered from pixie-faced lead-singer Alex. 'There's loads of birds in here.'
Class act, already. Despite wearing a rabbit in the headlights expression for most the set, he manages to keep his cool, even when the crowd decide to join them onstage. Within seconds, there's 30+ fans sharing vocal duties and generally attempting to upstage to no avail. It's only when the drummer shouts, 'Get off the stage, you southern bastards' do any of them think about letting them get on with it.
Then it hits us: for a relatively unknown band, most of the crowd know each and every word to the tunes and at one point sing in verse so fervently Alex resultantly asks for permission to sing his own chorus. With titles numbering 'Scummy' 'Mardy Bum' and 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor', there's a Mike Skinner take on their witty lyricisms, and when we hear 'He's got engaged, but there won't be a wedding, he'll nick your bird, then kick your f**king head in!' from 'Bigger Boys & Stolen Sweethearts', we know it's something special.
There's time for one last stage-invasion and then it's all over, albeit the constant ringing in the ears. Arctic Monkeys are being compared to, and called the Northern Libertines, and you can see why; they bear that crackling energy once seen in Carl 'n Pete. But there's more. More to come. The future's bright; the future's Monkey Magic.
Photo-Credit: Malcolm Walker-Arnott
Artists in this article: Arctic Monkeys
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment