Andy Duong

Mrs. Young
APELAC Period 2
10 April 2014
Culture of the Monkeys
Whats in a band? For many, a band is simply a group that plays music. Nothing more,
nothing less. Yet, for fans of a musical group, a band isnt just a group of people making music.
A band is a culture created by a bands origins, the songs they create, and the fans they attract.
For the Arctic Monkeys of High Green, Sheffield, their culture is distinctly English through their
roots, their tunes, and their admirers. These three factors have contributed into created what is
the Arctic Monkeys culture.
The Arctic Monkeys consist of Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook, and Nick
OMalley; all four hail from the same city: High Green, Sheffield, England. The bands Sheffield
origins contribute significantly to their culture. For one, the band is known for their heavy
Sheffield accent and slang. At concerts, the band has been known to be increasingly more
personal towards the audience while closer to Sheffield while incomprehensible towards
American audiences. This is because the language that the band uses to communicate with fans is
distinctively English; both in vocabulary and in pronunciation. However, not only do their
origins play a factor in their language, but also in the stories they tell. Various songs from their
albums tell tales only relevant to those living in England.
The tales the Arctic Monkeys tell in their songs tell of English nights out; nights out in
Sheffield night clubs, taxi rides home in Yorkshire streets, drunken exploits. Songs like Mardy
Bum, Riot Van, I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor,, Fluorescent Adolescent,
among other songs, talk of strictly English activities. Therefore, these songs have also exuded a
very English feel to them. Their English vocabulary has been inserted in many of their lyrics:
summet, meaning something; mardy bum, meaning a grumpy girlfriend, and pinched your bird,
meaning stole your girlfriend. These words have contributed into creating a unique English
culture specifically attributed to the band. This, in combination with the persona Turner and his
bandmates portray create a specific feel that is unique to the Monkeys.
This culture, of course, has attracted a very unique set of fans, the majority coming from
of course, England. With the songs that the Monkeys sing, it is only natural that the Brits be
attracted to the band. In fact, the band is considered the quintessential British band of the 21
st

century. The Arctic Monkeys has been compared to bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling
Stones, displaying the amount of influence that the Monkeys have over English culture.
However, the Monkeys also have a substantial amount of fans from the United States. These fans
have influenced the band into become slightly more Americanized, especially in the later years.
This has especially been exemplified in their last album AM; consisting of more hip-hop beats,
and heavily, more traditional rock riffs, the band has adapted its music to appeal to a more
globalized audience.
Arctic Monkeys origins, songs, and fans have significantly contributed to the
development in to its unique culture.