Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo DVD & Live in Texas bonus CD
Warp Films / Domino Records / Bang Bang Films
EMI Music Publishing
By Samantha Parvin
If you are looking for fresh, jump-around Britpop for your ears, you have come to the right place. Arctic Monkeys’ double live disc is truly for the fans. As digital downloading becomes the “norm” in audio sales, more and more artists are releasing box sets, special editions and vinyl albums. The band did make public a special edition box set, only 5,000 ever made, which boasts a vinyl version of the Texas 2006 live album and portrait postcard art of the band members. In addition, Arctic Monkeys has fashioned a recession-friendly alternative package, which packs a 19-track performance DVD from the last gig on their 2007 world tour at the Apollo in Manchester, England, and a 10-track live bonus CD.
At the film’s opening, the band members depart their dressing room and meander the backstage area of the Apollo. Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O’Malley storm the stage and settle right into “Brainstorm” as the crowd roars. The film is well-produced (directed by Richard Ayoade of Britain's The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace), camera shots are powerful and steady, and the reaction from the several thousand person crowd makes Arctic Monkeys look more popular than the Rolling Stones. The band is well-rehearsed, and the fans hold high energy throughout the 76 minutes.
The additional live audio CD from a show at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Texas debuts expertly clear recordings by Reelsound Recording (engineer Malcolm Harper, mixer Timm Cleasby, live sound John Ashton), and serves justice to the tracks included. The foursome twists some of the songs a bit, as a live performance should, and they have hardened their sound slightly. “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” and other more popular songs make the cut on both the DVD and the CD, and rightfully so. But featuring mostly different songs on the two media pieces in this packet wins; and combined with first-rate recordings and superior music, you can’t go wrong with purchasing the Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo package.
