Returning Sheffield indie giants Arctic Monkeys could have been forced to delay their new album, after someone stole the band’s lyrics.
Arctic Monkeys are one of the most significant groups to emerge from Britain in the past ten years. Led by Alex Turner the band’s have crafted two albums which have redefined British guitar music, blending sharp riffs with Turner’s acclaimed observational skills.
The band have not released any new material since 2007’s ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’. Since then, Alex Turner has focussed on his Last Shadow Puppets project with Miles Kane of The Rascals. However the singer did contribute a spoken to drummer Matt Helders mix for the ‘All Back To Mine’ series.
The group began recording new material last year with Queens Of The Stone Age singer Josh Homme producing. Unused to the Californian heat, Homme seems to have been able to guide the band onto rockier territory, with Arctic Monkeys debuting new material during a recent tour of Australia and New Zealand.
However the album could have been delayed for much longer, as Alex Turner had his lyric book stolen some time ago. The singer revealed all to the NME, but emphasised that he was able to work on new ideas as a result.
“I got my bag robbed six months ago, I lost this notebook,” said the singer. “I lost loads. (It was in) this brown book with a picture of a fox on it.”
“I went the morning after and brought a couple of Moleskines and sat around for a couple of hours trying to remember it all,” he said. “But I found the whole process made me write more things, complete things that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
Arctic Monkeys are due to release their eagerly awaited third album over the summer. The band have confirmed a number of performances for the festival season, including a headline performance at Reading and Leeds.
Drummer Matt Helders will be even busier than his cohorts, meanwhile, helping to organise the Tramlines festival in his hometown of Sheffield.
