When ‘Brick by Brick’ came out, a lot of Arctic Monkeys fans were shocked. Was that Alex Turner singing the lead? What about those Black Sabbath-stealing riffs and beyond-the-pale simplicity of the lyrics? Luckily, the rest of ‘Suck It And See’ put the cynics’ minds at rest; the record filled with a plethora of Smiths-esque guitar pop gems. Great riff work, coupled with tongue-in-cheek lyrics from Turner; it’s what everybody knew the Arctic Monkeys were capable of, and it’s their best collection of songs to date.

Having said that, ‘Brick by Brick’ is not even the most dominant album in tonight’s set. The poppiest cuts from ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ and ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ populate the set list almost equally, and even a choice few from ‘Humbug’. The extended version of ‘Still Take You Home’ sees a breakdown after the second verse that meanders into a stomping riff to rival that of the crescendo of ‘Dance Little Liar’. Which brings us to Matt Helders’ drumming. He deserves some kind of drumming medal (if there is one) for his efforts tonight. Even Turner has taken to highlighting how accomplished his bandmate is by lying in front of him on stage, chin resting on his hands and his legs in the air like a child watching their favourite cartoon during ‘Pretty Visitors’, possibly the most drum-intensive indie song since, well, ‘Brianstorm’.

Visually, the band’s live show has shifted from being no better than a 40 watt lightbulb in a tin can to variously shaped screens projecting tinted videos of each member from intimate angles (basically we can see up Turner’s nose at some point); their relationship with Warp Films and director Richard Ayoade has clearly been time well spent. Arctic Monkeys have been constant innovators with their sound, whether in small ways or large, and their sonic progression is documented perfectly by this career-spanning performance. We can’t wait to see where they go from here.

Mike Doherty