English indie rockers Arctic Monkeys have slowly been springing back to life over the past year, ending a brief hiatus following their 2013 fifth effort AM and subsequent tour, to focus on personal lives and side projects, including the sophomore effort from Alex Turner’s pop-geared endeavor The Last Shadow Puppets. As they celebrate the release of their brand new LP, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, which was recorded last year under the radar, the band are finally back in action, performing tours and fests. A brief North American trek, the group’s first since 2014, brings them back to Nashville tonight, June 18, for a performance at Ascend Amphitheater with The Nude Party. Only a handful of tickets remain as of writing, which you can grab right here. Read on for more about the show!
ARCTIC MONKEYS
Formed in 2002 in Sheffield, England during their teens, Arctic Monkeys appeared on the scene as the garage rock revival of the early aughts was giving way to the blog-fueled indie rock explosion of the latter part of the decade, earning immediate acclaim and breakout worldwide attention for their stunning 2006 debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s Why I’m Not. Promptly dubbed England’s next great rock act (with Brit Awards, Grammy nominations, and the fastest selling debut in U.K. history, they earned the pedigree to back up the hype), the band had grown to certifiable phenomenon by their 2007 sophomore effort, Favourite Worst Nightmare, again a smash hit, and that same year headlined Glastonbury for the first time. Ensuing years would see countless other festival appearances, and with subsequent releases, 2009’s Humbug, 2011’s Suck It And See, and 2013’s AM, the group managed to build on their indie, garage, and post-punk revival sound while maturing in focus, broadening their influence, and exploring beyond frontman Alex Turner’s signature early fast, supremely English delivery. Their superstar status may have cooled a bit in recent years (at least stateside, as has indie rock as whole), but after a four year absence from performing, and five since new music, the band, newly refreshed and celebrating their brand new sixth album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, feel perfectly primed for a comeback. Their last Nashville show was a rowdy intimate affair at Marathon Music Works, but Ascend feels like a more appropriate space for this highly-anticipated return. You don’t want to miss it!
THE NUDE PARTY
Since they burst onto the scene in 2014 with their spectacular release Forbidden Fruits, we have been huge fans of ’60s flavored psych/garage rockers The Nude Party. Despite getting their start in the peaks and valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone, NC, the six man ensemble have been known to also dip into surf rock riffs, with splendid keyboard work and howling vocals that bring to mind legends of bygone eras like The Doors, and when you see their incredibly high-energy live show, you’ll understand why that comparison isn’t just hyperbole. The equally epic Hot Tub EP followed in 2016, and they’ve been touring nearly nonstop ever since. After taking up residency in the Catskill Mountains, the band are prepping to release a new eponymous LP on July 6, and we look forward to seeing what they’ve been working on when they warm up the stage tonight for Arctic Monkeys.
Arctic Monkeys and The Nude Party will perform tonight, June 18 at Ascend Amphitheater. The show is all ages, begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available to purchase for $39.50-49.50.
