Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner on Arena Rock and the Art of Songwriting

Posted on Nov 17th 2009 11:21AM by Richard Moore
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Alex Turner is feeling hungover. "Everyone's a bit rough today," he drawls. "We're in Amsterdam and er... well yeah, you know? Everyone's a bit reduced today." It's early afternoon and Spinner has caught up with the Arctic Monkeys front man to talk about the band's biggest tour to date, his prodigious song writing talents and the future. Will their diminished state affect forthcoming performances we wonder? "No, no," Turner says mischievously. "It'll enhance them."

The year 2009 has been one of transition for Turner and his band. He left his Sheffield roots, and band mates, behind in a much publicised move to Brooklyn, N.Y.. And for the first time in the band's short career their latest album, 'Humbug' -- co-produced by Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme -- wasn't universally lauded by the British press. A darker, looser, lyrically opaque and more lascivious beast than previous outings, the album has divided fans and critics alike in the UK. Yet despite this, the Arctic Monkeys are about to step up to playing their homeland's cavernous arenas for the first time. Turner, for one, is looking forward to the challenge.

So Alex, how did the recent US tour go, did audiences there take to Humbug?
They like their 'Humbug' in the US. The tour we just did was brilliant. We got a really good response, probably better than we've ever had. And we enjoyed it more as well.

In the UK you'll be playing arenas for the first time. It's something you could've done a couple of years ago so why did you decide to step up to those places now?
I think we all thought that the music wouldn't work in an arena before, it seemed more suited to smaller venues. Our only experience of playing big shows was at festivals or this one time we supported Oasis at a stadium in Canada. Our sound was wound really tight and it didn't seem right for bigger spaces. Now it's changed and I'm still not sure it will work, and we'd probably still prefer to play theatres. But you get to the stage where if enough people want to come to see you, you need to do bigger shows, so we were like 'let's give it a try.' It means that everyone who wants a ticket can get one, and it's been alright you know. It's been fun.

You're obviously the songwriter in chief of the band at present, can you ever envisage a time where the other members start to contribute too?
I'd like that. I think it's one of them things that you can't force. If someone brought something you'd be happy to do it, but nobody as yet has. I wouldn't rule it out, I mean every now and then you'll see [Arctic Monkeys' bass player Nic)] O'Malley over in the corner sitting quietly with his acoustic, and be like, "er, what you up to over there then?" He'll be like, "oh er nothing." One day he might come forward, either that or he'll just leave.

You've been very prolific as a writer over the last few years; do you ever fear that the song well might finally dry up?
Not really. I actually write more now than I ever have, definitely. Not so much on tour but while I'm at home I write a lot. I used to have this idea that if you work on something for too long you're going to kill some magic. I try not to think about that anymore. I'm happier now to spend a few weeks or months even on the same tune, altering it, carving bits out and chiselling. I now think you can improve songs over time.

Do you feel like you're still serving a songwriting apprenticeship and that you've more to learn about the craft, given that you're still so young?
Yeah definitely, although I do feel that I've learned a bit so far. I started quite young and we had a record out when we were young and I hadn't written that many songs. It was all just making it up as we went along which is why I think some of those older ones are difficult to play live now. Some of them, the charm kind of shines through and you like to revisit them every night. And then there's other ones where you just feel like "oh no". I've not figured out why some are like that and others aren't, they sort of take on a life of their own.

Does it help - when you play the older songs live -- seeing the reaction of the fans to them, even though to you they're very much past tense?
Well yeah that's it obviously, once you see the fans are bouncing off the walls that overrides any reticence for us. That's why when you focus on a tour like this one you want everyone to have a good time. And I think playing these bigger rooms does call for you to put on more of a show. It's directly proportional in a way, the size of the room to the number of the more familiar songs that you decide to put in. Ultimately we're not doing anything we don't want to do and it's fun to run through 'Dancefloor or Scummy Man, because that's what it's all about too.

So, can you see yourselves moving on to stadiums or following in the footsteps of Prince, Britney and Bon Jovi with a residency at London's massive O2 venue next time around?
No!

Artcic Monkeys are on tour in the UK now. Their snew single, 'Cornerstone', was released on Domino Records on Monday (Nov. 16).