Monkey Business

Matt Helders and Jamie Cook promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when answering Hot Press readers’ questions.

Stuart Clark, 04 Mar 2010

Great, at least the questions will be decent!”

The cheeky sod! Instead of being crestfallen that he’s being deprived of the joys of his second Clarkian probing in sixth months, Arctic Monkeys drummer and P. Diddy’s bezzie mate Matt Helders is delighted that today’s interview agenda has been set by Hot Press readers.

Actually, I ought to have said cheeky, hairy sod because since July, the 23-year-old has sprouted a very fetching Afro that completes the Monkeys’ transmogrification into Hammer Of The Gods-style rockers (more of which anon).

With Alex Turner and Nick O’Malley saving themselves for tonight’s belter of an O2 show – “It’s the last day of the tour and we haven’t been pacing ourselves very well!” – wingman duties fall to guitarist Jamie Cook who doesn’t have any famous hip hopper friends but, hey, we won’t hold that against him!

So, fingers on the buzzer gentlemen, here’s your starter for ten…

Are you aware that Nick Cave complimented your version of ‘Red Right Hand’ at a recent Dublin show? He said something along the lines of, “Because the Arctic Monkeys have done such a great job on this, we feel like we have a licence to mangle it.”

Steo Murphy, Clones

Matt: Lovely, that’s a good seal of approval for us! We’d been pestering a mate of ours who’s done some work for Grinderman to ask Nick what he thought, but now we know.

Jamie: We’ve done all sorts in soundcheck – Kings Of Leon, Bloc Party – but that was our first proper, grown up cover!

Hi chaps, any hope of you making a record with Diddy? Reckon it would sound wicked!

Steve, Hollywood (County Down, not L.A.!)

Matt: Probably not. He doesn’t need Arctic Monkeys on his records. I might drum for him though! If we were going to collaborate with anyone, it’d probably be a girl. Get a proper singer in! No, it’d be an interesting contrast with Al’s voice.

Jamie: Next time I bump in to Lady GaGa I’ll ask her if she’s up for it!

Your favourite album, book, film & TV show of the noughties, please!

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Stuart Clark

The last night of the North American leg of the Suck It and See tour

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Listen to Suck It and See now...

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And don't forget to pick up your limited-edition white label ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’ tomorrow!

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Listen to 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair' here!

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The band have stuck themselves on the front.

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2007-04-18 - REVIEW

Well now, what kept them? Gone are the days when the Stone Roses would take an age to follow up a groundbreaking debut. Instead the Arctic Monkeys return in less than a year. Good to have them back and all that, but maybe they could have done with a bit longer. The breakneck pace of ‘Brainstorm’ certainly suggests a band in a hurry, yet, if we can be frank for a moment, the tune itself isn’t much cop. You might think this precludes the Monkeys from bagging ‘single of the fortnight’. Such is the sheer ubiquity of the track, however, we’ve decided to bend our house rules a little. Because, whichever way you look at it, ‘Brainstorm’ is the most important record to fetch up on our singles pile lately. And so the gong goes to the urchins. Still, we’re expecting better things from the new album.

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Hot Press can reveal that The Arctic Monkeys have confirmed a June 16 visit to Malahide Castle, the same venue that’s host on June 30 to BellX1.

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They blasted into the public consciousness at the end of 2005, when 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' became the year's biggest breakthrough No.1. Since then it's been an extraordinary rollercoaster ride for the Arctic Monkeys, with bass player trouble, celebrity fans, EastEnders appearances and a row with fellow newcomers The Feeling to show for their efforts. Oh, and then there's the small matter of shifting nearly two million copies of their debut album...

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As strongly hinted at by Alex Turner in the current issue of Hot Press, The Arctic Monkeys have parted company with founder member Andy Nicholson.

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If not reinventing the wheel, Arctic Monkeys are certainly giving the spokes a good polish. Stuart Clark takes his place in the moshpit for their recent Dublin show.

2006-02-13 - Interview

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