50 Fun Facts About Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys formed in which English city?

Turner's rapid-fire lyrics are sung in a distinctive local accent the band became famous for.

Who is the band's lead singer and guitarist?

He was initially reluctant to sing, but took the role because he had 'a thing for words'.

Who is the band's drummer?

He and Turner were neighbours and close friends growing up.

In which year did the band form?

They played their first gig the following June.

Which co-founder left the band in 2006, shortly after the debut album?

He said he couldn't deal with the band's fame and success over the previous six months.

Who replaced the original bassist in 2006?

He was drafted in from the Dodgems as a temporary bassist for a North American tour and stayed.

What is the title of the band's debut album?

It became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history at the time.

What was the band's debut single, a UK No. 1 in October 2005?

It was recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire.

Which second single was previously titled 'Scummy'?

It also went straight to No. 1, in January 2006.

To which independent label did the band sign in June 2005?

They liked the DIY ethic of its owner, who only signed bands he personally liked.

Who owned the label the band signed to, running it from his flat?

His label later streamed Suck It and See on SoundCloud a week before release.

Who produced the band's debut album?

Recording finished at Chapel Studios in January 2006.

Chapel Studios, where the debut was recorded, is in which county?

The debut single was recorded there too.

How many copies did the debut album sell in its first week in the UK?

It sold more on its first day alone than the rest of the Top 20 albums combined.

The debut's cover was criticised by NHS Scotland for appearing to endorse what?

It shows the band's friend Chris McClure with a cigarette; the CD itself shows a full ashtray.

What name did fans give the band's early batch of 18 demos?

The first sender named them after the venue where he received them; many wrongly think it was an early album.

At which hometown venue did the band play its first gig in June 2003?

They had been rehearsing at Yellow Arch Studios in Neepsend.

Which website, which boosted the band early on, had been set up by fans rather than the band?

The band said they were unaware of what it was.

Turner said the arrival of which band changed the music he listened to and the shoes he wore?

He grew his hair out and borrowed his mum's blazer.

What is the title of the band's second album?

Released in April 2007, all 12 of its tracks charted in the UK singles Top 200.

Which single preceded the second album by a week?

The band played a secret gig at the Leadmill to debut seven new songs.

Which song did the band debut live on The Jonathan Ross Show dressed as clowns?

It charted at No. 5, and was their last UK Top 10 single until 2013.

Which 2007 single, peaking at No. 20, was the band's lowest-charting single at that time?

It remained only one week in the top 40.

Under what pseudonym did the band release 250 vinyls of B-sides in 2007?

The vinyls carried two B-sides from the 'Teddy Picker' single.

At Glastonbury 2007 the band covered a song originally sung by whom?

They performed 'Diamonds Are Forever' alongside guests Dizzee Rascal and Simian Mobile Disco.

Where did the band play two 55,000-capacity shows in July 2007?

NME called them 'the gigs of a generation' and compared them to Oasis at Knebworth.

What is the name of Turner's side project with Miles Kane?

Their second album, Everything You've Come to Expect, arrived during the band's 2014 hiatus.

What is the title of the band's third album, released in 2009?

Turner said the band listened to Nick Cave, Jimi Hendrix and Cream while writing it.

Josh Homme, who produced half of the third album, fronts which band?

Homme said the band asked him to 'take us to the weird and the strange'.

What was the lead single from the third album?

It debuted at No. 12 in the UK singles chart in July 2009.

What is the title of the band's fourth album, released in June 2011?

NME named its artwork-free cream cover one of the worst in history.

Which 2011 track, premiered on the band's website, features Helders on lead vocals?

It was released on vinyl for Record Store Day alongside the fourth album's first single.

Most of the stock of which single was burned in the 2011 London riots?

A limited 7-inch was then sold through the band's website.

Which Beatles song did the band cover at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony?

They also played their debut single during the ceremony.

In which year was the album AM released?

It debuted at No. 1 in the UK, the band's fifth straight chart-topper.

AM was recorded at Rancho de la Luna, near which Californian desert town?

Guests included Josh Homme, Elvis Costello's drummer Pete Thomas and Bill Ryder-Jones of the Coral.

AM adapts the poem 'I Wanna Be Yours' by which punk poet?

He was a formative influence on Turner and has called the band 'the nearest thing' to the Beatles.

Homme's appearance on which AM track is Turner's favourite moment on the album?

Turner has said 'Arabella' best captures the album's two styles in one track.

Where did the band play to about 80,000 people over two days in May 2014?

Tame Impala, Miles Kane and Royal Blood supported.

During the hiatus, Helders drummed on a 2016 album by which artist?

The album was Post Pop Depression.

What is the title of the piano-led sixth album, released in 2018?

Turner said the guitar 'had lost its ability to give me ideas'.

Turner cited three films by which French director as inspiration for the sixth album?

The films were Un flic, Le Cercle Rouge and Le Samouraï.

The band's 2020 live album was recorded at which London venue?

The 2018 concert came during the Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino tour.

All proceeds from the 2020 live album went to which charity?

The band also released the 2026 single 'Opening Night' for the charity's Help(2) compilation.

What is the title of the band's seventh album, released in October 2022?

It was described as a comfortable middle ground between AM and the sixth album.

Which artist kept the seventh album off the UK No. 1 spot?

Midnights held the top spot; it was the band's first studio album not to debut at No. 1.

The band share the record of five Mercury Prize nominations with which act?

Nominations came in 2006, 2007, 2013, 2018 and 2023.

How many Brit Awards has the band won?

They were the first band to 'do the double' of Best British Group and Album three times.

Which single, released in January 2026, was part of a charity compilation project?

The compilation was titled Help(2).

What was the first single from the seventh album?

Turner directed its video.