Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys has disclosed that The Smiths significantly influenced the band’s newest album, ‘Suck It And See’.
Turner mentioned that while he wasn’t deliberately trying to evoke The Smiths during the writing of ‘Suck It And See’, he welcomes comparisons between his band’s new album and the iconic Manchester group.
He stated: “I have a deep appreciation for The Smiths. It’s hard to say if I was immersing myself in their music while crafting this recent album, but I’m perfectly fine with it resonating in our songs. Another Manchester influence we draw from is John Cooper-Clarke, whose impact is quite evident on our first album and continues to echo through some of the couplets in the new Monkeys record, as well.”
Furthermore, Alex Turner acknowledged that he’s recently started to embrace the role of frontman with much more enjoyment during their latest tours, leading to increased crowd interaction.
Reflecting on his frontman style, Turner expressed, “I’ve begun to appreciate that particular aspect, and I’ve engaged in actions on stage lately that I never imagined I would. Being in the spotlight didn’t come naturally to me at first—like singing, it’s something that developed over time. But now, I’m doing silly crowd engagement things, like yelling, ‘just this side sing’. That was a joke we used to share in rehearsal, but I actually went through with it the other night and felt I should apologize for it.”
by Wallace McTavish
