Arctic Monkeys
6th March 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
It has been five long years since the High Green boys of Sheffield have graced a stage in Auckland and judging from the fan’s reception last night, they have been sorely missed.
But before the wily charms of Alex Turner and his crew were bestowed upon the audience it was the chance of Los Angeles trio – who had extended to a quartet last night – Mini Mansions to offer up a psychedelic lollipop with a tangy sherbet rock centre. Consisting of members of The Last Shadow Puppets (of which Alex Turner is a member) and the electrifying Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age, Mini Mansions performed a slick set that hit all the right places, Shuman at times like a shook up bottle of fizzy pop as he would periodically explode into life, high kicks and wide guitar swings taking out the mic stand a couple of times and seeing the crowd down front roar with delight.
Vocals duties were shared between keyboardist Tyler Parkford and Shuman, at times their voices harmonising together as one, tracks such as ‘Creeps’ the mesmerising ‘Midnight in Tokyo’, ‘Vertigo’ and latest single the slinky ‘GummyBear’ enthralling those who had come early to see them and certainly engaging a few new fans as well. Finishing on the acid trip that is ‘Mirror Mountain’ – Matt Helders joining them on drums for an even more intense, mind melding experience – Mini Mansions left Auckland basking in the afterglow.
The short break between sets saw the ever-growing crowd serenaded by the likes of Trio Juniors ‘Fruscio Di Foglie Verdi’ and ‘Un Bacio È Troppo Poco’ by Mina, normally an odd choice of music, but leading into a set by the Arctic Monkeys it just felt right; the mood shifting sharply as The Streets ‘Weak Become Heroes’ jabbered in thousands of ears before fading into the darkness as the Monkeys made their entrance.
Expanding to eight members for this tour – Tyler Parkford once again returning to hold down keyboard duties – the Arctic Monkeys filled the simple but lounge style space around them well, Turner, still in a suit, but far more casual than his last tour persona taking front and centre. The forlorn melody of ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ eased Auckland into the evening before the frenetic guitars of ‘Brianstorm’ whisked the crowd into a frenzy, the easy head nod of ‘Snap out of It’ then pushing through to the instantly recognisable riff of ‘Don’t sit down cause I moved your Chair’.
The Monkeys most recent record Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino released last year got it’s first look in of the night with ‘One Point Perspective’, the distinctive plinking of the piano keys reminiscent of a few iconic hip-hop tracks, Turners voice melting over the top. Anything following the all killer no filler of 2013 ‘s AM was going to be tough, the album a shining example of almost sheer rock record perfection; but while Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino isn’t the chest thumping, foot stomping feast that AM is, it brings with it some of the greatest lyricism that Turner has produced to date. The songs, which are suaver in nature, with their pulled back instruments slid into last night’s set list well, though at times they did create a little lull in the overall energy.
But while new tracks allowed Turner to show off both his vocals and skills on the Fender Rhodes electric piano, which at times he ditched his guitar for when he wasn’t stalking the stage like a lounge room lizard, there was still plenty for their day one fans; ‘I Bet that you look good on the Dancefloor’, ‘Arabella’ and ‘Dancing Shoes’ all reminding the audience that Arctic Monkeys still know how to be a balls to the wall English rock band when they need to be.
A thrilling instrumental following ‘505’ (which has been dubbed ‘The Jam of Boston’/’Mission Control’) saw Turner wander the stage to tinkle the keys beside Matt Helders, who if it hasn’t already been stated before, is easily one of the best drummers on the circuit today, before later returning to the helm to belt out the snippy ‘Crying Lightning’. Banter had been kept to a minimum, Turner periodically asking Auckland how they were and thanking them in his luxurious tenor that tipped over into the baritone realms for those extra goose-bumps.
The three-song encore saw a large cube that lazily spun around on one corner brought on stage for the vintage strains of ‘Star Treatment’ before the word ‘Monkeys’ spelled out in large glowing letters rose like the dawning sun from behind the band as they closed the night out with Turner emphatically asking, ‘R U Mine?’
After last night, most fans would categorically state that yes, they still very much are.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this indie garage-rock revival? Or have you seen the Arctic Monkeys perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Do I Wanna Know
- BrianStorm
- Snap Out Of It
- Don’t Sit Down Cause I Moved Your Chair
- One Point Perspective
- I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor
- Library Pictures
- Arabella
- Science Fiction
- Teddy Picker
- Dancing Shoes
- Fireside
- Cornerstone
- 505
- Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino
- Crying Lightning
- Pretty Visitors
- Four Out Of Five
- Star Treatment [encore]
- Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? [encore]
- R U Mine? [encore]
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