1000 Tiny Birds

Arctic Monkeys (+The Hives, The Mysterines)

Ashton Gate Stadium, 2023-05-29

Another long time bucket list gig ticked off today, with the genuine joy of being able to see a band like Arctic Monkeys in Bristol, rather than the now inevitable trip to London for the night (or longer). On a bank holiday Monday’s night, when the sun goes down, onto the stage they emerge with the first performance of Mardy Bum in 16 years. Shame I’m not that big on the first album, eh. But I do get an awful lot that I want to hear, expected or not. My Propeller being resurrected is a thrill, Suck It And See is nostalgia in musical form, and There’d Better Be A Mirrorball demonstrating that boy have they still got it. The band are incredibly tight, and whilst the people who don’t like the most recent albums are always going to bitch about something, Alex Turner is absolutely nailing it. The Hives are enormous fun (“ladies and gentlemen and everybody else”) as an energy boost before the main set, and The Mysterines are surprisingly adept at holding their own on what is quite a big stage. It’s a worthwhile and delighted crossing off of a bucket list item. I wonder what’s left now.