Arctic Monkeys at Marlay Park | Review

Arctic Monkeys at Marlay Park, Dublin on July 12th 2014

The last of the summer’s Marlay Park shows features possibly the biggest band in the world right now in the form of Arctic Monkeys. The sold-out show is testament to the enduring popularity of the group, even with the tracky-bottoms now replaced with leather jackets.

Aside from the Monkeys, there are plenty of acts to entertain the punters; first up are the phenomenal Royal Blood, a two-piece group featuring only drums and bass. This unique set-up creates an equally unique sound. Using an array of effects, Mike Kerr manages to beef up the sound of his bass to colossal levels, and combined with the ferocious drumming of Ben Thatcher, the group put on an explosive performance.

Tunes such as Little Monster are loaded with devastatingly awesome riffs, and with the bass as the lead instrument, the group sound like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Kerr’s vocals are also spectacular, smooth and velvety, but with an aggressiveness when required. Royal Blood’s half an hour on stage was extraordinary, and they are certainly an act to keep an eye on in the future.

Long-time buddy of Alex Turner, Miles Kane, kicks off his set with the irresistible Inhaler. The fantastic lead riff is played with great energy and vibrancy, and the band manage to maintain this liveliness throughout. Unfortunately the standard of the songs drops mid-set and doesn’t pick up again until Don’t Forget Who You Are, and the glorious Come Closer wraps up his show in style.

Jake Bugg starts on a high with Trouble Town, sparking some life into the crowd. Seen It All is a nice contrast to that bubbly track, and the variety in moods and styles is perhaps Bugg’s biggest asset. The electric guitar comes out for Two Fingers, and the anthemic chorus is impressive, but the guitar tone is very thrashy and takes away from the song a bit. His playing skills are also a bit questionable, with solos sounding awkward, and he tends to look down at what’s he playing a bit too much. However this doesn’t stop the epicness of set highlight Simple Pleasures standing out. Despite Bugg’s limitations, his band is very tight, and there’s a certain elegance to their playing. Lightning Bolt guides the set home with a bang, and Bugg proves himself worthy of this prestigious support slot.

Arctic Monkeys appear onstage and launch into Do I Wanna Know? The huge riff captivates the crowd, and Turner struts round the stage with his slicked back suaveness. His classic croon drips heavily with charisma on Snap Out Of It, and the track oozes a swaggering coolness. This coolness does take a little of the sting out of Brianstorm however; the bass is somewhat muted, and after the laid-back aura of the ‘AM’ tracks, this full on song comes on too strong.

It does set the tone for the next few tracks, with Don’t Sit Down Cause I Moved Your Chair bristling with a sinister rockiness, while the casual, observant lyrics of Dancing Shoes are fantastic. Crying Lightning is another quality tune, with the technicality of the drums standing out. Sly little riffs creep out from every corner, and Turner lets loose those long, wordy lines of lyrics that are so satisfying to sing along to. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor is – naturally – amazing, with the whole crowd going bonkers to this indie classic, which is played surprisingly early in the set. But the fact this belter of a tune is played so early is a sign of just how strong the band’s back catalogue is.

Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High features some gloomy atmospheric effects at the start before the sparsely arranged song begins. The impeccable rhythm section gives the song all its structure, and the lead contributes short riffs as it pleases. This allows Turner to indulge in his witty, crooning vocals that create this wonderfully catchy chorus. Like all the newer material, the track has a certain arrogance, but it is reined in just enough so as not to come across as pretentious.

Flourescent Adolescent brings it back to the band’s giddier roots and again this is another fantastically performed guitar track stuffed with catchy riffs and melodies. 505 closes the main set, and is truly mind-blowing, creating a mood that almost anyone can relate to, while rising to its heroic conclusion as flares go off. It closes a stellar set and the crowd wait eagerly for an encore.

With the crowd in the palm of their hand, and after putting on a truly exceptional show, it seems that the band should have no problem driving home the point with a quality encore. They have enough remaining hits after all, it’s just a case of proving that they are indeed one of the best live acts in the world. But somehow, they manage to blow it.

Turner reappears on his own and delivers an acoustic version of A Certain Romance. It’s a nice rendition, but the novelty wears off after the first verse. After all, Tuner is only playing a few chords. It’s half-expected the rest of the band will join in a some point, but no, Turner continues indulging himself. It’s almost as if he’s saying my lyrics are so good I don’t need to try anymore.

The band does reappear for One For The Road, another of the tracks from ‘AM’. Again it’s slow, easy-going, laid-back, and the last thing you want to hear in an encore. I Wanna Be Yours continues to murder the mood. The song is fine by itself, but is so very slow and casual, and lacks effort. The band wrap up with R U Mine, which goes some way to saving this encore, but it’s too little too late.

These last three included, material from ‘AM’ makes up half of tonight’s entire set. The band have four other top-notch albums from which to pluck hits from, so the decision to overload the set with ‘AM’ tracks is a bizarre one. The worst thing is the songs aren’t suited for an encore – their lazy atmosphere sucks all the life out of the show and instead of ending it in a blazing flurry of brilliance, the band slump out meekly. Arctic Monkeys were so close to being extraordinary that this disaster of an encore makes failure all the more disappointing.