Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not

The most anticipated debut album since Oasis' Definitely Maybe

Arctic Monkeys are a four-piece indie rock band from Chapeltown, Sheffield, England. The band's northern roots in many people's opinion are a key element to its unique blend of social commentary on modern life and musicianship. Established in 2002, the band consists of Alex Turner (guitar, vocals), Jamie 'Cookie' Cook (guitar), Andy Nicholson (bass) and Matthew 'The Cat' Helders (drums). The band was named after Cook's uncle's band from the 1970s. They first started to gain the attention of the mainstream public when their demos were made available to download on the Internet in late 2004. Around this time they began to receive a great deal of attention from BBC Radio 1 and the British tabloid press for their catchy songs and witty lyrics. In May 2005, Arctic Monkeys released their first EP, Five Minutes with the Arctic Monkeys. Their popularity rapidly grew after several shows, impressing many who went to them. Their debut single, I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor, and the follow up-When The Sun Goes Down, went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Arctic Monkeys' debut has been hailed by the press as the most anticipated debut album since Oasis' Definitely Maybe.

Stripped-down, punk rock record with every touchstone of Great British Music covered

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not confirms Arctic Monkeys as the UK underground’s most proselytizing young preachers of the DIY gospel. Marrying nervy, caffeine-and-cigarettes indie clatter to conversational, pretence-free lyrics and the occasional burst of off-the-cuff eloquence it’s an instant, pulse-racing hit. No question, the Monkeys are more sinners than saints. The opening The View From The Afternoon predicts a ruckus with a whole lot more grit than the Kaisers can muster, while on the mellow Riot Van, a tale of underage drinking and cop-baiting culminates in a messy beating in the back of a station-wagon. Look beyond the Arctics’ bristly, laddish exterior, however, because it’s actually affairs of the heart that comprise this album’s secret core: see the sweaty-palmed Dancing Shoes, bearing testament to the trial of nerves that is pulling in a suburban indie nightclub, or Mardy Bum – tribute to a moody girlfriend that, for all its witty barbs, is tinted with sweet affection. Essentially this is a stripped-down, punk rock record with every touchstone of Great British Music covered: The Britishness of The Kinks, the melodic nous of The Beatles, the sneer of Sex Pistols, the wit of The Smiths, the groove of The Stone Roses, the anthems of Oasis, the clatter of The Libertines... Arctic Monkeys fuse all those elements into concise four-minute blasts in a quite idiosyncratic manner.

Every track on Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not sounds like future classic

You could argue that, musically, there's nothing genuinely new here. But you'd be hard-pushed to convince anyone that Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not is not possessed of a unique character, thanks to Turner, who comes equipped with a brave, unflinching eye for detail, a spring-loaded wit and a panoply of verbal tics. Whether it's The View From The Afternoon, Fake Tales of San Francisco or Still Take Ya Home, every track sounds like future classic. The clincher, though, is A Certain Romance. As perfect a pop song as you could ever hope to hear, it rivals even The Streets in its portrayal of small-town England. Here's hoping they can keep up the good work for years to come! The band recorded the album in a studio in Lincolnshire in September 2005 before embarking on their first world tour. The week before its release, the source behind the album's name was revealed as a reference to northern actor Albert Finney and the 1960s film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. The members of the band are reportedly fans of old British '60s movies, and lead singer Alex Turner revealed that the film is what the album is about.