Ryan's Gig Guide - February 2018

r gg Feb 2018 - p.24 WWW. R YA N S G I G G U I D E . C OM r gg 23 YEARS 1995-2018 Ah, 2006.What a time to be alive. I would’ve been 14 at the time, probably on MSN messenger pretending that my webcam didn’t work, whilst simultaneously nudging the shit out of someone. Downloading music was still rela- tively new and was generally done on Limewire (remem- ber that?!?), though half the time you’d end up with a clip of Bill Clintons “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” speech. Facebook was in its infancy as MySpace reigned as the supreme ruler of social media. I wonder what Tom’s doing now eh? But most importantly, indie- rock bands had started to make a comeback in what would be a brief, but beautiful time for music, spearheaded by four lads fromYorkshire. 2005 had seen a significant rise in popularity for guitar bands, with critically acclaimed albums from Franz Ferdi- nand, Stereophonics, Oasis,The Killers, Hard-Fi,The Coral, Gorillaz,The Rakes,The Magic Numbers,The Cribs… I re- ally could go on forever. But this was to be more fuel to the flame that had been burning since 2004, when a little known band from Sheffield started giving away copies of their demo CD, soon to be known as the “Beneath the Boardwalk EP”. Of the 18 tracks recorded, 8 of them would form the majority of their debut album. The phenomenon that was Arctic Monkeys and the antic- ipation surrounding the release of “Whatever People Say I Am,That’s What I’m Not” is something I don’t believe we’ll ever see again.The album sold just shy of 120,000 copies on its first day of release, setting a new UK record for the fastest selling debut album of all time. Since then, it’s gone on to sell over 1.5 million copies worldwide. Everyone’s got a special date that’s been contributed by music.You hear stories from when buying a record really meant something to people. Going to spend your last bit of pocket money on Sgt Pepper, getting home and listening to it over and over, memorising every word, every note and every little nuance. Monday 23rd of January was that date for me. I vividly remember being at school, watching the seconds pass until half three when I could get home and spend all evening listening to what has become the blueprint for guitar bands ever since. The View from the Afternoon punches you in gut right from that first drum roll.Telling the all too familiar tale of anticipating a big night out, only for it to end up a bit of a disappointment and all your money lost in the fruit ma- chine.We then crash into I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, which opens with a guitar solo that keeps ris- ing and threatening to boil over, before kicking into the main riff.“Stop making the eyes at me, I’ll stop making the eyes at you”.The opening line that introduced many, in- cluding myself to the band. I remember when it was first played on radio, as I was in the kitchen at my dads house, with both of us waiting to hear what all the hype was about. It was played on Zane Lowes Radio One show (yes, they really did have bands on their playlist), and it was like nothing else that was out there. It was guitars, bass and drums, indie rock ‘n’ roll, but something about it was off. I still to this day can’t put my finger on it, but there’s some- thing in these songs that parts them from the also rans, an almost angular sound that still manages to be a balls to the floor, smack in the face. The album carries on at full speed. FakeTales of San Fran- cisco laments at bands pretending they’re American (oh, the irony), containing my favourite lyric from the album declaring that “Love’s not only blind, but deaf” and ending with a call to arms to “Get off the bandwagon, put down the handbook”. AlexTurner has said that the album is al- most a concept, as the songs revolve around a similar theme of going out and getting into trouble with your mates. Dancing Shoes,You Probably Couldn’t See me… and Still TakeYou Home carries on in this vein. Riot Van slows the album down, but it is a real highlight, showing early insight intoAlexTurners songwriting ability and a sign of things to come on future albums.This was a song that I remember really striking a chord.At the time this album came out, me and my friends had started to go out on a Friday night having persuaded someones mum to buy us alcohol from the corner shop over the road. Whatever People Say I Am,That’s What I’m Not – 12Years On by Jake Davey