Now that I’ve made it through all of Arctic Monkeys’ current catalog, I figured I should give more live performances a listen, since I can’t see them in person yet. Although I am getting my hopes up for next year since drummer Matt Helders recently confirmed that their seventh full length is on its way to being complete, and they just announced a couple of shows over in Europe slated for the end of the year!
Anyways, this is the first live album I’ve ever purchased let alone listened to. That’s more my dad’s bag. Regardless, this performance took place at Royal Albert Hall in London back in 2018, but the band had decided to bless us with a recording of it last year. It was also released in an effort to raise funds for War Child. Very noble. Now, I have watched a few live performances by the band over the past several months, so I knew that they were going to sound pretty fantastic. Really though, for most of the album, it was sort of hard to tell that I wasn’t just listening to the original recording! They were truly phenomenal.
The setlist was also nice and varied with a handful of songs off of each of their records making the cut for this 20-song setlist. You know, for Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino being my least favorite of their efforts, I was pleased to hear them open the show with “Four Out of Five,” and then the title track a little later in the setlist. AM probably had the most songs off of it make the cut, but I do love “Knee Socks” and “Arabella” pretty darn well. Although I’m sure I didn’t say it at the time, “From the Ritz to the Rubble” is probably tied as my favorite song off of their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, so I was pumped to hear it here. It was a little slower than the original version, but it still rocked!
Obviously, some fair weather fans would have been pissed if they didn’t play the trio of singles off of AM, “Do I Wanna Know?,” “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?,” and “R U Mine?,” so it was no surprise that they ended with the latter either. I was so glad that “View From the Afternoon” made the encore cut! It’s my favorite song off the first record, but of course it wouldn’t be an Arctic Monkeys performance if Alex Turner didn’t forget the lyrics…which he did. But that’s fun! It makes it a true live-record experience and almost like you were there yourself.
A couple of songs I could have done without included, “Do Me a Favour” and “One Point Perspective.” Instead I would have loved to hear “Old Yellow Bricks,” “Black Treacle,” and “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala.” Also, although I love “505,” it just doesn’t compare to the live renditions I’ve watched with Miles Kane present. He just adds another layer to the sound that seemed to be missing. It almost sounded a bit muted if I’m being honest. And as I mentioned earlier, some of the songs came off a bit slower than their original versions, which to a point, I respect that decision, but sometimes it just takes away from the magic of a song. At least “Brainstorm” seemed to go as hard as I’ve heard it before.
Overall, this was an enjoyable record to listen to. A part of me wishes it would have come with a DVD recording of it, as well, but beggars can’t be choosers. If you’re a fan of Arctic Monkeys and want something unique added to your collection, definitely think about purchasing this album! It comes in many different formats, all of which a portions of the proceeds go to support War Child. Go make a difference!