Arctic Monkeys - Round Two

This was the original concert that my friends and I FAILED to get tickets to go to, triggering the second Great Depression outburst across Leyland, Lancashire. But I remember the day well, August 2018, like any other day during the summer, sat in the hair dressers, when I got the news. A friend had defied ALL odds and managed to get tickets to the gig of all gigs, the holy grail, and that was my year made.

The concert was the first week in September, a Friday night, and it lived up to all of our expectations. The first time seeing these captivating performers live was in Glasgow at TRNSMT, which, don't get me wrong, was faultless and a mesmerising evening. However this time, what made it special was the fact the band we had looked up to and admired since time began was in Manchester, they were stood on the stage before us, in a place that was ours. That's what made it unforgettable.

Their performance was as breathtaking as ever. Although we felt more prepared this time, this was our round two, we considered ourselves experienced. Although the moment the introduction to Cornerstone graced my ears still evoked some sort of feeling inside me that nothing else will ever touch, hearing that song live is an experience like no other. Manchester crowds also can't be beaten, in my extremely biased view. The energy that was brought and the support for the band was monumental, the atmosphere created was indescribable. Between songs you could hear a pin drop, the faintest cough in the distance, yet mid song you'd even struggle to hear yourself think with the amount of vocal enhancement the crowd brought for the band.

The only thing that I personally found disappointing was the setlist, not because it wasn't good, just because it could have been so much better. Turner knew that the crowd would have gone crazy if they played songs off their earlier albums, Fluorescent Adolescent or Mardy Bum, the ones that made them the band they are today. Although, I think it's having the power to choose which songs he plays that Turner reveals in, knowing that we're all waiting for him to drop the sauve, sophisticated act and smash out some of the eternal classics and a thick, Sheffield accent, something that would now threaten his reputation too much.

Saying that, nothing could ever be taken away from the way the whole band interacted with every member of the audience, I can't imagine anyone in that room watching their performance and it not having an immortal impact. Truly fabulous, as expected. x