Arctic Monkeys is band created in 2002 originally from Sheffield, England, which became internationally famous especially since the release of their last album: AM (2013). The band is formed by the lead vocalist, guitar and piano player who also writes the songs, Alex Turner, the guitarist Jamie Cook, the bassist Nick O' Malley and the drums player Matt Helders. Their music style is indie rock, garage and revival-punk in some tracks, while they aim for a more psychedelic turn in others.
Their image has always been quite organic. They started off as independent, naive and certainly shy young musicians who created their own music. Alex Turner's parents have a background in English Literature and Poetry and the lyrics of his songs have a touch of poetry as a consequence.
As they gradually became famous, their image started changing dramatically. Instead of wearing ordinary clothes that anyone's young neighbours could have, they transitioned to leather outfits and a sexier, more extreme rock touch in terms of styling. Alex Turner began applying grease to his hair and cut it in a modern version of what could remind us of Elvis' toupée.
Due to the popularity of the album, Arctic Monkeys' representative probably realised that they had to cater for an image which would attract more viewers without a doubt. So he went to a more suggestive, mysterious and professional manner of marketing them.
In the beginning, the band was probably self-sufficient and relied only on their music. Of course, they were quickly spotted and Alex Turner was turned into an innocent teenager stereotype that had to be cared for, and his talent moved the masses. This talent and the potential of the different member of Arctic Monkeys, who are not the typical boy band for the youngest audiences but their looks and type of music could attract a range of people aged 13-35, or even older because their music is influenced by legendary "classic" bands such as The Smiths, Queens of the Stone Age or even The Beatles, dating back to the 60s.
Since the release of AM, new fans have appeared in the scene, mostly younger as the album is a modernised reinvention of the band, with tracks more orientated towards electronic music. The change, triggered by the realisation that the industry has changed over the years, is also supported by the aesthetic choices of their music videos. While, in the beginning, the only videos available were mostly from performances in British festivals, going through a period of indie, quite traditional videos with clear narratives. for AM the band aimed for a more updated look. If we analyse the video for "Do I Wanna Know?", the designers behind it have chosen a black and white colour scheme, elegant and sleek like the new image of the band. The video is based of graphic work; the concept is simple but effective.
Also, there has been a very clear use of synergy as the main visual of the video is the frequency which also appears in the cover of the album as well as in the merchandise. In live performances, this frequency has been used to decorated the most important part of the stage.
During interviews, the band members have always been careful with their words, many times coming across as insecure, though this is probably part of the image they want to give off. There is an aim for perfection that has not disappeared from the beginning.
Arctic Monkeys is just an example among many other bands which have grown thanks to the decision of slightly changing their music —mostly modernising it— and, consequently, their looks and the overall image they show to the world. Obviously, they have lost some older fans because of this transition, but most of the people who followed them from the beginning are too loyal already to be bothered about changes to such extent. I am not a fan of their last album, but I still believe it's better than so many other tracks that different bands would offer me. And, surely, there is a certain emotional attatchment to this Sheffield band who defined part of my childhood.
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