Arctic Monkeys at Soma

Alex Turner is a bad, bad man. Photo courtesy of Rima A.Z.

I don’t know if I would call it a tradition, but somehow my friends and I always end up in San Diego at the end of summer. Why anyone would want to name their town after a whale’s vagina is beyond me.

Anyways, our times spent down south usually entails some quality live music and college-aged debauchery . Two years ago it was The Shins and Rise Against (not at the same show, obviously). Last year it was Ok Go. This year, it was Arctic Monkeys at my favorite venue, Soma.

For those not familiar with the legendary San Diego locale, don’t get too excited. Soma is essentially a dirty concrete warehouse, lodged uncomfortably between karate clubs and home furnishing stores. It doesn’t have much going for it–location and cleanliness being two obvious strikes–aside from the fact that it holds some of the most amazing shows that I have ever witnessed.

Last night, the Arctic Monkeys were by no means an exception.

First up though, was The Like. While they hail from my corner of Southern California and have been around for a while touring with the likes of Muse and Kings of Leon, this was my first encounter with the cute female quartet.

Although we got their halfway between the set, snaking our way through a packed crowd for the headliners, I was impressed by the openers. With a style that depends on a solid organ or keyboard backing, infused with smart bass lines and the Jenny Lewis-esque voice of Elizabeth “Z” Berg, the band invigorated an anxious crowd with a fast-paced set of feminine energy. So basically, I like The Like.

On to the main attraction. Following the openers, the packed Soma crowd wasn’t willing to cooperate with a 45 minute layover, causing a pre-set mosh that had sweaty bodies swaying and nearly hitting the deck. People were pissed. My Spanish-speaking crowd comrades were yelling “PUTA!” and small children were crying. And on the seventh day there were Arctic Monkeys and all was good.

Photo courtesy of arcticmonkeys.com

There’s not much you can say that people haven’t heard about the band from Sheffield. Being terribly biased, I embrace anything Arctic Monkeys as a godsend, from new singles to Alex Turner sneezing. Their music is everything I appreciate: biting lyrics, massive energy, high-powered guitars and English accents. So it hurt me when I slightly railed on the group’s third album, “Humbug,” in an earlier review. I hope they find some means of forgiving me.

Last night though, they had no intentions of doing so, forcing the new album down Soma’s throat. They made you to love it. As much as I chastised the band for moving away from their established style, I was singing and moshing for the first five songs, four of which were from “Humbug.” Single “Crying Lighting” was a particular crowd favorite, and “Pretty Visitors” was pure mayhem.

With the crowd well-acquainted five songs in, the band continued on their tear, but insisted that they do it at their own pace. Of their bread and butter hits, they passed on “A Certain Romance” and “Fake Tales of San Francisco” and continued to play off their new album, performing eight of the 10 tracks by their set’s end. And while they closed with “505,” the Arctic Monkeys equivalent of a love song, they made their point– they’ve changed their style and they’re not going back. The way the crowd reacted, they did’t seem to mind.

As for me, I’ll be ok with it as long as every show can be comparable to my night at Soma.

-Ryan

Arctic Monkeys- Crying Lightning (download)

Arctic Monkeys- Pretty Visitors (download)

The Like- Fair Game (download)