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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Amy Denman

Glastonbury fans disappointed as Arctic Monkeys accused of 'slowing down' hits

Arctic Monkeys have been hit with criticism after taking to Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid stage on Friday night to perform the headline set.

The rock band, originally formed in Sheffield, performed a 90-minute gig on the Worthy Farm festivals' iconic main stage hours after Foo Fighters put on an epic surprise performance.

The appearance was up in the air in the lead-up to this weekend after lead singer Alex Turner had to cancel an open-air concert on Tuesday after suffering from acute laryngitis.

As the band went ahead as planned not everyone was pleased with the performance as the band played hits such as R U Mine and Mardy Bum for the crowd and those watching from home on the BBC.

Some confused festival-goers complained as Alex and the group were criticised for slowing tracks down and making it hard for fans to sing along.

One wrote: "I’m sorry but I refuse to believe anyone enjoys watching Arctic Monkeys live. They sound so off beat, slow and lazy. Amazing songs, but butchered on stage".

Arctic Monkeys have been accused of 'slowing down' their hits during their Glastonbury set (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

"I love Arctic Monkeys but playing the older songs in this tone that Alex is so dead set on keeping is such a disgrace to the fans and those songs. Slower songs aren’t bad but you can’t play (ex.) R U Mine slow, it wasn’t made for that and that’s not why people liked it," another said.

Another added: "I fell in love with the Arctic Monkeys because of the energy and excitement in the songs. That performance was too slow for me, still some bangers played though."

"Feeling a bit disappointed with the Arctic Monkeys at Glastonbury. Mardybum & Bet you look good on the dance floor, the only good ones. They’ve gone so slow & downbeat for my liking xx," a fourth added.

Others insisted they enjoyed the set and defended the band for the performance.

One insisted: "Well I thought they were brilliant and I am abso buzzing for the morn #ArcticMonkeys".

The group performed on the Worthy Farm festival's iconic Pyramid stage (Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/REX/Shutterstock)

And a viewer from home wrote: "I've just watched the Arctic Monkeys set from Glastonbury. A few things... Alex Turner. Oh, hello. Very Cool. The guitar solo at the end of Body Paint was a thing of beauty. Miles better than I expected it to be. Well worth a watch."

Another added: "Wow! Arctic Monkeys just incredible," while a fourth fan penned: "Wow what a set from Arctic Monkeys at Glastonbury."

Meanwhile, some fans were left confused by lead singer Alex's accent, with some claiming it was "getting weirder and weirder".

"I much preferred the #ArcticMonkeys prior to Alex Turner becoming American. #glastonbury2023," one user said.

Another posted: "Alex Turner has turned Arctic Monkeys from one of the greatest UK bands into a bit of a joke. The f**k is up with this ongoing accent?"

"I love the Artic Monkeys but f**k me Alex Turner is destroying this set! Why is he singing in a stupid accent? Terrible!" another user questioned.

One disappointed fan said: "Alex Turner’s accent just gets weirder and weirder. He actually murders his own back catalogue when he performs live. Rancid karaoke."

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