Arctic Monkeys announce first UK festival appearance

It’s been four years since Arctic Monkeys were last on a stage but the wait is finally over.

The Sheffield band released their critically acclaimed album AM, in 2013 and embarked on a world tour. After sold-out gigs and festival headline appearances, there was no timeframe for their return. After their headline performance at Reading Festival in 2014, frontman Alex Turner revealed the band would go on a hiatus, saying it was the “perfect place to leave things for awhile…”

Turner partnered up with Miles Kane in 2016, releasing The Last Shadow Puppets second record, Everything You’ve Come To Expect. Drummer Matt Helders, kept himself busy by contributing to Iggy Pop’s 2016 release, Post Pop Depression, a collaborative effort with Queens of the Stone Age frontman, Josh Homme.

Since then, Turner and the rest of Arctic Monkeys were rumoured to be back in their hometown Sheffield, working on their sixth record. Other rumours claimed the band were in California for recording sessions, where they recorded AM.

The ‘Mardy Bum’ rockers have now been announced for a number of festival appearances across Europe, including an appearance at Glasgow’s TRNSMT Festival. In an announcement on their website this morning, the band confirmed what festivals they’ll be performing at later this year.

With headline slots at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Open’er Festival in Gdynia, Poland and Best Kept Secret Festival in Finland. They’re appearance at TRNSMT is the only UK appearance revealed so far.

TRNSMT Festival takes place from June 29th to July 1st, with Stereophonics and Liam Gallagher revealed as the other headliners. Tickets go on sale on Thursday February 1st.

With Arctic Monkeys’ return firmly in place, it’s now a question of how long before they release their first piece of new music in five years.