It may be nearly 20 years since Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner urged listeners "don't believe the hype" on their debut single I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, but after a (crying) lightning performance in Swansea the Sheffield-born band have proved they are more than still up to the job.
Having not performed in Wales for almost a decade - their last soiree being at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena in October 2013 - the rockers returned to God's own country under a cloud of anticipation and, for many, apprehension. Much has been said about the band's creative turns in recent years with their latest album The Car being worlds away from their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.
But proving their critics wrong their bumper Swansea set rattled through hit after hit, making Perfect Sense for any longtime fans of the band. Taking to the stage at the Swansea.com stadium on Monday, June 12, the foursome rolled back the years with an eclectic set.
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And while it is Turner at the helm who is often at the centre of any conversation involving the Monkeys, as the band arrive on stage just before 9pm as the Swansea sun goes down (a fan favourite sadly missed from the set) and whip immediately into Brianstorm the crowd is instantly reminded that this is more than a one-man show.
The pace at which guitarist Jamie Cook, bassist Nick O’Malley, and perhaps predominantly drummer Matt Helders control the set, even at moments when Turner exercises his crooners, keeps the 20,000-odd crowd in the palm of their hand.
Attendees hoping to hear sweet nothings from the band will have been left disappointed as half a dozen songs go by with little more than a "good evening Swansea" from the front man. But loyal followers won't have been fazed with the vocalist of what must by now be one of Britain's most successful bands preferring to keep his musings to his melodies.
But with hit after hit ranging from Snap Out Of It, Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair to Teddy Picker, only spurring on the crowd further it doesn't seem as though anyone really cares. While this first half an hour or so has left the audience trying to keep up, above all else as the riffs ricochet around the stadium it has reminded them exactly who the Arctic Monkeys are.
In an era where shows are bigger than ever there is no pomp or pyrotechnics here (if we put the huge mirrorball that makes a brief appearance later in the evening aside). Instead the band rely solely on their incredible musicianship, Turner's ease at being centre stage and their huge back catalogue of "banging tunes" - no DJ sets on this occasion sadly.
Finally taking a breath Turner asks: "How are you all feeling?" before slowing things down with 2009 hit Cornerstone. And it appears as though the Welsh' talent for singing was once again recognised with the frontman noting "beautiful, beautiful" and the crowd joined in.
Continuing this slightly subdued section of the show Alex starts the chords of the next song at the piano only for the crowd to go wild on realising it is hit Why'd You Only Call me When You're High?. By now if there were a roof on the stadium it would be in serious trouble as the opening chords of AM's Arabella kicked in.
With the audience now wrapped around his finger Turner egged them on further by making a reference to Swansea in the song, which is already a fan favourite.
The set has clearly been meticulously planned to keep the audience wondering what's next with change of pace from the slower Four Stars Out Of Five before launching straight into Pretty Visitors and Fluorescent Adolescent enough to give anyone whiplash.
As a roaring Do I Wanna Know thunders through the crowd any trepidation about the band's changing trajectory seems long forgotten. And as the band slide into the newer There Better be a Mirrorbal, not for the first time this evening the crowd becomes a sea of torches.
As the main set draws to a close 505 is met with cheers only egged on by Turner's surmise of: "What a wonderful audience." The end of the main act ends with their latest single Body Paint, which is evidence enough that some songs are just made to be performed live. The clashing guitars and dramatic lighting reminding the crowd that, while different, the Monkeys are very much still the same.
Videos from previous epic encores on this tour have been doing the rounds on the internet and Swansea was not left disappointed. A trio of guitar-heavy tunes from Sculptures of Anything Goes, I Bet You Look Good on The Dancefloor, and an especially raucous R U Mine sends carnage through the crowd.
It may have been a decade since their last visit but this crowd will undoubtedly remember tonight's show for double that. And while they are obviously not the same band as they were nearly 20 years ago their Swansea gig once again showed that whatever people say they are, that's what they're not.
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