Live Review: Arctic Monkeys, Pond

Inspired by the headlining act and fooling many, Western Australian band Pond, only later speaking to the crowd in their natural tongue, confessed they weren't actually English at all – they were just so taken in by their newfound musical friends that they decided to prove that imitation is still the most sincere form of flattery. Pond's melodic and psychedelic blend of rock – including wailing guitars and lyrics sometimes indistinguishable from their music – hypnotised the assembling crowd, as helped by a stage lit by a green haze, like a tranquil rainforest.   

Lit up and towering high above the stage the giant abbreviated and illuminated letters of both their band name and latest piece of work was the biggest clue, but with only two songs missing from their fifth studio album Arctic Monkeys (playing every other track) made it clear this was the AM album tour, not a journey through their back catalogue.

From the opening track Do I Wanna Know? to the very end Alex Turner, with jet black, slicked-back hair, wearing a perfectly fitting grey suit with one black leather shoe elevated and elegantly propped on the front speaker stack, looked more like a New York crooner than the seminal indie frontman, but he never failed to sparkle at the Arena.

Matt Helders detonated atomic combinations throughout the set, then launched into Brianstorm, his speed and unique time signatures revealing why he is respected the world over for his first rate drumming skills. Later, Cornerstone, like 505 would also slow down the otherwise formidable tempo incited by I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor. When Fireside started, with semi-acoustic guitars and a giant disco ball beaming an artificial moonlight across the walls, the otherwise surging crowd enjoyed becoming momentarily subdued.

With Jamie Cook delivering smooth falsetto backing vocals on Knee Socks the band illustrates how crucial to the Arctic Monkeys sound every member has become – a sound that this tour demonstrates is constantly developing. Songs like Dancing Shoes were sung in Turner's newfound American accent rather than his native Sheffield tongue, Arctic Monkeys have successfully evolved  into a group that has so much more juice left in the tank. The angst might have gone but the intensity still remains.