Do Arctic Monkeys Live in the UK?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Alternative Rock Last Updated November 17, 2022

Arctic Monkeys UK lg

Arctic Monkeys are a rock band, and all four members hail from England. But as they have grown hugely popular, do Arctic Monkeys live in the UK?

Most of the members of Arctic Monkeys, such as Alex Turner, live in the UK. But drummer Matt Helders lives in Los Angeles, California. 

The band members took a break after releasing their sixth studio album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, and are reportedly ready to hit the road with a string of concerts. They are close to finishing their next studio album.

Matt Helders (the band’s drummer) spoke to Radio 5 Live Breakfast, revealing that the album is

“pretty much ready”. It was a bit disjointed how we had to do it, and there are bits to finish off, but yeah, it’s all in the works.”

But did the members work on their new album while staying in the UK? Let’s find out where all the band members are and what they’ve been up to.

Are Arctic Monkeys from London?

Arctic Monkeys are not from London and instead are from Sheffield in the UK. In fact, the band’s Sheffield roots are a key element of their style that significantly helped them be labeled as “northern libertines.”

Arctic Monkeys garnered recognition as a band when they started playing gigs in clubs in Sheffield. Some of their most memorable performances here include:

  • Arctic Monkeys-Live at the Grapes, Sheffield, 2003 
  • Arctic Monkeys at The Forum-Sheffield 2004
  • Arctic Monkeys-Live at The Boardwalk, Sheffield, 2005

The band became an iconic voice after finding early shows at The Leadmill, a venue that opened its doors in 1980 and hosted a number of shows in Sheffield. The place was popular with music lovers in the city.

Arctic Monkeys also played here, becoming local legends soon.

As per rumors, the band frequently visits Sheffield to pay homage to their hometown and to keep the music culture alive there. In 2018, AM was rumored to have planned a show in Sheffield, but it was later withdrawn due to the band’s other commitments.

Where in the UK are the Arctic Monkeys from?

Arctic Monkeys are from a small suburb in England’s vicinity called Sheffield—a metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. 

Sheffield became popular because of its great tradition of live music, with a number of quality bands finding their footing as artists here.

Arctic Monkeys definitely outshone all of them. Sheffield allowed them and other bands to talk about Sheffield’s long-established history of catering to music lovers of all kinds of tastes.

Do you know any other Sheffield bands besides Arctic Monkeys? Here they are: 

  • Pulp
  • Human League 
  • ABC
  • Moloko 
  • Def Leppard
  • Baby Bird 
  • Joe Cocker

Furthermore, Sheffield became well-known for housing some of the best clubhouses for music fans to gather and have a good time. It was a place that was a perfect mix of culture, music, religion, and tradition.

Arctic Monkeys certainly had the influence of their surroundings on their music.

In fact, after digging deeper, I discovered that AM’s music was heavily influenced by religious imagery. But are Arctic Monkeys Christian?

Luckily, I made sure to talk about it in a recent article. Some of those rumors stem from religious overtones in Alex Turner’s lyrics. But does he attend church regularly?

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Is Alex Turner British?

Alex Turner, the Arctic Monkeys’ lead vocalist, and band frontman is British, having been born and raised in Sheffield in the UK.

Turner completed his primary and secondary schooling in the UK and developed his earliest musical memories here. His parents were great fans of music and introduced him to artists like:

  • The Beales
  • The Beach Boys
  • Led Zeppelin
  • David Bowie
  • and The Eagles

He played as a guitarist for a band in York and Liverpool to gain more confidence, ultimately forming his own band, Arctic Monkeys, in the UK. Things started to pick up after he released his first EP, “Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys”.

With their debut album, ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’, things looked far brighter for the British band.

Nearly two decades after their debut album, Arctic Monkeys are widely regarded as the fastest-selling band in the United Kingdom. But outside of Britain, they failed to gain popularity equally as massive as in the UK.

As per The Guardian, the band “never quite made it big in America” until their latest album, AM, topped US radio charts.

What accent do Arctic Monkeys have?

Arctic Monkeys’ band members primarily grew up in the High Green region of England, from where they adopted their vernacular Yorkshire accent. This accent was what AM’s audience first started associating them with.

I have also talked about Turner’s accent before in another article. As per my research then, combined with recent findings, I can say that AM has evolved drastically in terms of genre and sound.

If you look at AM’s few performances back when they weren’t that big, you will notice that Turner loved experimenting with his dialects.

Also, a research paper is titled “A Certain Romance: Style Shifting in the Language of Alex Turner in Arctic Monkeys Songs from 2006–2018″. This paper attempted to study Turner’s vocal performance over 13 years.

According to this research paper, Turner’s vernacular Yorkshire accent remains significant with Arctic Monkeys’ sound. The paper also says that Turner brilliantly interweaves language and identity in his performances.

Tracks like “Beach” highlight Turner’s ability to convey different social distinctions through different linguistic signs such as accents, diction, and vocabulary.

Each of the album’s lyrics is rooted in the band’s experience growing up in northern Britain, whether it was the local pubs, controversies, drugs, or their religious beliefs.

While you are at it, read my recent article where I have discussed a few controversies that AM got entangled in, leading to their drug usage.

What part of London does Alex Turner live in?

Alex Turner has now moved to his million-dollar abode in east London with girlfriend Louise Verneuil.

The couple made the move because Verneuil wanted to be closer to her native France, where she has her own successful career in music.

The Sun wrote in one of its columns:

“Alex has spent much of his late twenties and early thirties in LA, which was amazing for him-especially as he isn’t quite as recognizable there.”

It just made sense for him to move back to the UK. He and Louise have a steady career, and being in LA wasn’t an ideal choice for them as in France.

As per the same article, Louise released her album “Lumiere Noire” and wanted to be in France for its promotion. They got a new place in London and happily spent their time.

The couple has also explained previously that they enjoy each other’s company. The musician reportedly set up a shop in east London.

"Do I Wanna Know?" & How Arctic Monkeys Broke America | New British Canon

Conclusion

The English rock band Arctic Monkeys emerged in 2002 from the grounds of Sheffield. The audience has celebrated the band’s catalog with great vigor.

However, after leading the rock genre for nearly two decades now, the band members took a short break from touring. Their last album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, was released in 2018, after which the band stopped touring.

As per news reports, Turner moved back to the UK with his girlfriend, and James Cook welcomed a baby girl aboard.

Arctic Monkeys @ the Wiltern by Neon Tommy was cropped, edited, and had a text overlay added.

Image by Nenad Djokic from Pixabay

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