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Arctic Monkeys
We Are Scientists
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Marquee Theatre
Tempe, AZ
6/04/2006
By: Meagan Rockne
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I have been a long sufferer of the Arctic Monkey chills. Ever
since hearing "When The Sun Goes Down" in late 2005, I
have suffered a bad case of cheekiness and unabashed
witticisms, compounded by a severe case of dancing feet
caused by hook-riddled melodies and catchy riffs. As time
wore on my symptoms were sated, that was until they came
stateside. Then everyone seemed to be suffering the same
plight. The only cure would be to see them live, which I
did.
Opening up for the Arctic Monkeys was Brooklyn-based trio
We Are Scientists. WAS has all the making of a hit indie "It"
band. They're already wildly popular in the UK, they have an
unusual name, they play catchy, dance-inducing pop tunes,
the lyrics are smart and witty and one of them sports a
'stache.
Unlike most current indie "It" bands, We Are Scientists aren't
quite aware that they are on to something big. No Mick
Jagger-like posturing from lead singer Keith Murray, who
opts instead for the energetic and classic rock out. The band
played all their instant hits from their debut album,
With Love And Squalor. They didn't bring a lot
of chitchat between songs, but when they did it was in the
typical WAS acerbic wit. Check out their Web site if you don't believe me.
Overall, the audience seemed to enjoy being witness to the
next big thing.
The long-awaited Arctic Monkeys took to the stage in a roar
of applause. The foursome from Sheffield had some hyped
up shoes to fill and I wanted to know if their performance
would be my panacea or cause me to relapse.
I stood in the back of a very crowded auditorium, and as
they completed their first song I thought to myself, "Is this
it?" With all the hype they've received, I expected more. I
expect lasers, prancing around on stage, windmills, back
flips off of amps, pretty much all things Motley Crue. But
they don't play into the hype - they're just four guys who
play Brit pop, who happened to stumble into epic-like
stardom. Here they are playing in front of a nearly 1.000 or
so people, all of whom are singing and dancing and the band
looks as though they are playing in a friend's basement - the
delightful contentment of not having to get a nine-to-five job
plastered on their faces.
They played a few songs that I had never heard before and
later learned that they are on their newest EP, Who
the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys. That five-song EP
sounds a lot like their album, Whatever People Say I
Am, That's What I'm Not. But I'm of the opinion that
all Arctic Monkey songs all tend to sound very similar to
each other.
,br>
Seeing the Arctic Monkeys play may have cured me, but I
hear that once you've contracted the Arctic Monkey chills,
you are more prone to outbreaks that oddly enough coincide
with their subsequent album release dates.
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