Arctic Monkeys Turn to Beyonce and Kylie for Arena Show Tips

Posted on Nov 6th 2009 6:25AM by Spinner
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They might be seasoned festival headliners now but the Arctic Monkeys are a little short on arena show experience. Given that the band are about to embark on a major winter arena tour in the UK, lead singer Alex Turner has revealed that he's been out and about seeking inspiration from some unlikely sources.

He told the NME: "I'd never been to a gig in an arena. But recently, knowing we've got this tour coming up, I've been trying to dip my toe into that. So I've seen Britney Spears at The O2, I saw Kylie [Minogue] the other week, and we went to see Beyonce in Japan - to try and see how it pans out."

However, fans expecting the multiple costume changes and elaborate theatrics of Ms. Spears and Ms. Knowles may be a bit disappointed. "There's not gonna be circus performers or bass solos," Turner said. "Beyonce had an all-girl band and one of them was doing these daft bass solos. No, there's not gonna be any horn sections."

Despite this, it would seem that the singer was to some extent impressed by what he saw at Kylie's show. "You can't try to be all coy about it with something that big,' he explained. "I think to some degree you can't hold back. That's what I've learned. Kylie was terrific by the way."

Fans left disappointed by the exclusion of some of their older material at their Reading and Leeds Festival shows in August might well be so lucky this time around thanks to the pop princess, according to Turner. "Kylie took a few requests. People shouted out and then she did a cappella. That's what I'm gonna do," he said. "And she dropped into the Nick Cave one, the wild roses one. Medleys as well, that's what you've got to consider with these shows."

The singer also revealed that the only other time he'd set foot in an arena was to see some WWF Wrestling when he was only six. Will the band be taking inspiration from that direction for their on-stage outfits?