Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare

BrianstormSurprised – Again 2005 Reading festival; and everyone in the guest area are talking about this new band who where playing one of the small tents at 4pm. I’d heard ‘I bet you look good on the dance floor’, a few weeks before so wandered along to find the crowd 10 deep outside the tent. Resorting to the old trick of holding 2 pints of beer above your head and chanting excuse me, excuse me, I made my way in to find some 16 year olds and what looked like a 14 year old lead singer taking to the stage. They ran through half of what was to become ’ Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not’and I walked out of tent half an hour later shaking my head and mumbling ‘shiiiit’This was then followed by 2 singles and the album all going into the UK charts at number 1 without almost any promo thanks to MySpace.Jump forward to the 24th April 2007 and difficult 2nd album,’Favourite Worst Nightmare’ gets launched. Sixty piece orchestra and Gospel choir are all thankfully missing, because it’s more of the same, only better! Brainstorm kicks off with a howl of drums and guitars and finishers with the line ‘see you later, innovator!’ Thankfully, that’s not a promise as Alex Turner tells more gripping everyday stories of love and life in the UK with memorable sing-a-long choruses and shithot lyrics describing thieving little scumbags and tales of lost love.Along the way, there are slight nods towards the UK’s rave culture, (This House is a Circus) soul(Do Me A Favour) and their own history.(D is For Dangerous) The album finishes with the beautiful 505 and makes you sit back and wonder where these kids (who are actually 20/21)are getting it from and more importantly, where it’s going to take them..• Brianstorm • Teddy Picker • D Is For Dangerous • Balaclava • Fluorescent Adolescent • Only Ones Who Know • Do Me A Favour • This House Is A Circus • If You Were There, Beware • Old Yellow Bricks • 505 .Mogs (out of 10) MMMMM MMMM