Arctic Monkeys: who are the Grammy-nominated rock band who performed at the London 2012 Olympics?

The Arctic Monkeys are an immensely successful rock band from Sheffield. They released their first project, Beneath the Boardwalk, in 2004.

Since then, they’ve released seven more albums, won tons of awards, and even performed at the Olympic opening ceremony. They are set to perform across the world this year at iconic venues including London’s Emirates Stadium and Forest Hills Stadium in New York.

Here is all you need to know about the Arctic Monkeys.

When did the Arctic Monkeys start making music?

The band is made up of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley, and Matt Helders. Originally, Andy Nicholson was also a member.

They formed the Arctic Monkeys group 21 years ago in 2002, when all the band members were just 16 or 17 years old. They met during their time as students at Stocksbridge High School, Sheffield.

Soon after forming, they got to work on their first song, which turned out to be the iconic You Look Good on the Dance Floor. They released the track three years later in 2005, and it received an unbelievable reception, jumping straight to the top of the UK singles chart.

Prior to the track’s release date, the Sheffield-based band gained traction in the music industry by sharing their tracks on social media site, MySpace. They also used to play as a support act for Milburn, another Sheffield indie-rock band.

The group currently consists of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley, and Matt Helders. Former band member Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006, shortly after their debut album was released.

Arctic Monkeys biggest performances

Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Reading Festival are just some of the monumental music festivals the group has played at. However, the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony remains their most notable performance.

With an estimated audience of 900 million people watching across the globe, the Arctic Monkeys performed alongside the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton, as well as many other artists considered to be British music royalty.

The globally adored Sheffield band performed their first song, You Look Good on the Dancefloor to the absolute delight of fans watching worldwide. They also performed a cover of the Beatles’ hit, Come Together.

What awards have the Arctic Monkeys won?

To list all the awards the band have won and what for would make for a very long read. To keep things concise, here’s a brief summary of the Arctic Monkeys’ silverware.

BRIT Awards: The group have won a total of seven Brit awards. Their first was for British Breakthrough Act, and two were in the British Group of the year category. They also won British Album of the Year awards for Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Favourite Worst Nightmare, and AM.

Their BRIT acceptance speech for  AM has become somewhat iconic. Lead singer Alex Turner made a statement by saying: “That rock and roll eh? That rock and roll, it just won’t go away.” The YouTube video of the speech now has over 2.2 million views.

Grammy Awards: The band have been nominated for six grammys but have never won one.

GUMMY Awards: The Sheffield group have taken home four of these across Denmark and Norway. They have won awards for Best Foreign New Act, Best Foreign Band, and Best Foreign Album.

Ivor Novello Awards: These awards are voted for by the songwriting community. The Arctic Monkeys won the album award in 2007, and are currently nominated for another, for their newest studio album - The Car.

The 2022 album has recently made headlines for boosting cassette tape sales to their highest in 20 years.

Other Notable Awards: The indie-rock sensations have also won 20 NME awards, five Q awards, and one Mercury Prize, one Meteor award, one Mojo award, and a Muso award.