Photo: Chris MacDonald
"Fucking hell," snarls Alex Turner, complete in real Hugh Heffner garb. "Are you ready for a good time?" The sense of occasion is lost on no one. From the swaying Yorkshire pilgrims and bright-eyed indie kids, to the casual mums and lads in macs doing balloons, the make up of the Arctic Monkeys crowd tonight shows their ascendence to the everyman band. If they're filling the throne left empty by Oasis, then tonight must be their Knebworth, right? Their Stone Roses at Spike Island moment in history?
As the beating pulse intro to 'Do I Wanna Know' awakens the 40,000 strong crowd, silhouettes of the band's heads are projected onto screens - the ultimate intro for the band who would probably regard themselves as icons. In Turner's every gesture and quip, you see the frontman of a group who are trying to be the biggest band on the planet - and doing a pretty bloody good job of it n' all.
Flowing into the playful swing of 'Snap Out Of It' into the cocky little rocker of 'Arabella', the confidence with which the band lean on newer material pays off - as there can't be many left alive who don't and know AM from front to back. Saying that, it's the snapping explosive intro to 'Brianstorm' that gets the first great roar and feral reaction of the evening - and the sheer affection reserved for the older numbers leaves many pining for more.
The psychedelic John Cooper Clarke-esque eccentricity of 'Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair' and the sheer dark rumbling weirdness of 'Crying Lightning' are finally met with the love they deserves, while the line 'get on your dancing shoes, you sexy little swine' is still the most fitting call to arms at a Monkeys' gig.
'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High' is welcomed as a modern classic, and the promise of 'summat old for the girls' in the form of 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' goes down as the seminal classic that it is. But listening to it, and remembering it as the track that started it all and launched them on their way to Finsbury Park, that panging desire to hear more of their journey resonates - and that's just one of a few minor quibbles about the troughs that flatline the evening.
'When The Sun Goes Down' or 'Mardy Bum' would have proven way more memorable than 'Fireside', and why support act and collaborator Miles Kane was not brought out for '505' is a baffling mystery, considering he can only be stood feet away. Either way, when we're lost in the swaying kitchen sink romance of 'Cornerstone' and the acoustic 'A Certain Romance', most criticism melts away.
Ending with arguably their finest moment, 'R U Mine', you still feel the thrill, but it doesn't overcome you. Tonight was not that epochal moment in musical history - Arctic Monkeys have already had plenty of them. With 21 songs and 90 minutes they just came on and did what they do best. They play like it's any other gig: no tricks, no gimmicks, no panto, just a great band going about their business of trying to be the biggest band on the planet - and succeeding in style.
Arctic Monkeys played:
'Do I Wanna Know?'
'Snap Out Of It'
'Arabella'
'Brianstorm'
'Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair'
'Dancing Shoes'
'Library Pictures'
'Crying Lightning'
'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High'
'Fireside'
'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'
'She's Thunderstorms'
'Number One Party Anthem'
'Cornerstone'
'Knee Socks'
'Fluorescent Adolescent'
'505'
'A Certain Romance'
'One For The Road'
'I Wanna Be Yours'
'R U Mine?'
Below: 31 exclusive photos of Arctic Monkeys at Finsbury Park, London
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