Review - Arctic Monkeys, Cardiff Barfly

“People said it’d be quiet in Cardiff,” intones Arctic Monkeys’ frontman Alex Turner. But, after a modest entrance to the sound of Dr. Dre, the band light the touchpaper; the crowd surging forward and threatening to engulf the stage of the tiny Barfly venue.

There’s a buzz about this Sheffield four-piece at the moment, garnered through word-of-mouth and a fiercely loyal internet fanbase, ensuring tonight’s gig is a sell-out. Not bad for a band who’ve only just released their first 1,000 copy, limited-edition single.

With Pete Doherty missing in action, Arctic Monkeys are of a current crop (Kaiser Chiefs, the Rakes) looking to occupy a post-Libertines place as a mouthpiece for the working-class weekender. They cover teenage angst (‘Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts’) to nightclub hedonism (‘Dancing Shoes’, ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’), filtered through Alex Turner’s distinct Sheffield drawl. The highlight is ‘Fake Tales of San Francisco,’ a critique of pop stars singing of places they've never visited (with the biggest number one of the year by a Sheffield native crooning about a town in Florida, it’s perfectly prescient).

The band plays a tight, wired set, unperturbed by the chaos in the crowd as security intervenes to hold back the tidal wave. By the time we reach the bouncer-baiting ‘From The Ritz To The Rubble,’ they’re appropriately flanked onstage by two burly bouncers. As the crowd joyfully sings back “kick me out!” like they’ve known it all their lives, you get a feeling that in the future, Arctic Monkeys are going to have little trouble getting past that velvet rope.