Arctic Monkeys Go Ape At The Phoenix

Arctic Monkeys are an anomaly among most overly-hyped bands. They refuse to play Top Of The Pops, they didn't accept their own Brit Award and they publicly denounce all of the hoopla — fifth-best British album ever, coolest man on the planet, defining the sound of a generation — surrounding them.

But, midway through their sold-out Toronto show on Monday night, there was one thing that the band couldn't resist gloating over.

"We played with Oasis last night," singer/guitarist Alex Turner announced. "How many of you have played with Oasis? I was fucking scared, let me tell you."

Then, ignoring guitarist Jamie Cook's suggestion that the band play "Wonderwall," Turner began the opening riff to the long-awaited "Mardy Bum" instead.

Having seen the Monkeys play the 15,000-capacity Air Canada Centre 24 hours before their more intimate show at the Phoenix, it's clear that the four-piece do best when they're in control. At the ACC, Turner complained of a parched throat and nervously joked that "there's only a few thousand people here." But he was relaxed enough on Monday to lament the fact that after only their second song, "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor," he was already sweating through his jumper, which he'd washed just hours before the show.

Unsurprisingly, dirty laundry is bound to pile up when crammed in a room with 1,000 people, all of whom were jumping, dancing and shouting out the words to the Monkeys' entire set. The band played every song off their debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, with the exception of the slow-burning "Riot Van." That was replaced by new song "Leave Before The Lights Come On," which Turner was polite enough to introduce beforehand: "I don't know if you know this, Toronto, but you will soon."

Judging by the familiarity with which the crowd reacted to the Monkeys, Monday night in Toronto could have been anywhere on the band's home soil in England. A group of fans clustered near the front of the stage even brought along the red-and-white England flag. Unfurled, it bobbed with them until the band's ferocious retelling of a Sheffield prostitute and her pimp ("When The Sun Goes Down"), when the fans flung it onstage. A roadie promptly scooped it up and draped it across Andy Nicholson's bass amp.

Turner prowled the stage during each song, shedding his guitar and shaking a tambourine for the bitter, anti-industry grunge number, "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But..." He tossed water bottles into the crowd, teasing, "What's mine is yours," and asked the audience to look out for "a little blonde girl" who was "bobbing up and down" and looked like she couldn't see anything. "Someone pick her up at some point, won't you?" Turner asked. Within seconds, the girl was perched atop someone's shoulders.

Arctic Monkeys may be the first to admit that they don't deserve the massive hype coming their way, and they probably don't. Regardless, they've made a solid, engaging and utterly catchy debut record, plus the energy and talent to recreate it live. For the moment, that's more than enough.

To check out some photos from the Arctic Monkeys' show, click here.