‘We were stubborn teenagers. We didn’t want to be famous’: the inside story of Arctic Monkeys’ frenzied early years

‘We were sceptical and cynical but also realistic’ … Arctic Monkeys in 2005, from left: Andy Nicholson, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook and Alex Turner. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/REX Shutterstock

In 2005, enough of a storm seemed to be brewing in northern British indie music that NME tried to coin a new genre to encompass it all: New Yorkshire. “Forget LA, New York or London,” the feature read. “New Yorkshire is the best new band scene in Britain.” The magazine lumped together a bunch of disparate bands such as Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys, the Long Blondes, Milburn, Harrisons and Bromheads Jacket, along with a Leeds and Wakefield bunch comprised of Kaiser Chiefs, the Cribs, Black Wire, the Research, ¡Forward, Russia!, the Ivories and the Sunshine Underground.

The New Yorkshire tag, though, had overlooked a fairly noticeable split in Sheffield at the time between the artier indie bands, often students, and the more traditional local indie outfits.