Arctic Monkeys perform 'Mardy Bum' for first time in 10 years

Sheffield's most famous band, Arctic Monkeys, kicked off their U.K. tour yesterday with a sell-out show in Bristol. They opened a 22-song set with 'Mardy Bum', which marked the first time the band played the infamous tune in over ten years.

'Mardy Bum' comes off the Arctic Monkeys' first studio album, Whatever People Say I Am I'm Not. It is one of the band's most iconic tracks, with over 312 million streams on spotify. The band played the song at their show in Ashton Gate stadium, the first time fans heard the song live since 2013.

Arctic Monkeys walking onstage in Bristol and playing ‘Mardy Bum’ 😍

pic.twitter.com/IwTKgeIfEd

— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) May 29, 2023

Their set featured crowd favourites like '505', 'Brianstorm' and 'Fluorescent Adolescent', as well as several songs off of their most recent album, The Car.

Alex Turner and the gang, who headlined at last year's Electric Picnic in Stradbally, also gave the crowd a rare rendition of 'The Propeller'. Coming off their 2009 album Humbug, the band hadn't played 'The Propeller' live since 2014.

The Car was released in October of last year. It is the band's seventh studio album, and was their only album not to reach No.1 in the U.K. album charts, only managing to reach No.2.

The Arctic Monkeys' Bristol gig was their first stop along a U.K. and Ireland tour that sees them stopping for 15 shows. The band is set to play in Dublin's Marlay Park on Tuesday June 20th, as well as hitting London, Manchester, and several other U.K. cities.

The band is returning to the U.K. after an extensive tour of Europe, where they played sold out shows in Amsterdam, Paris and Oslo. The band is being supported on their The Car tour by Irish outfit Inhaler.

Inhaler are also supporting Harry Styles in Slane next Saturday, before headlining Sea Sessions the following weekend, as well as playing at TRNSMT, and Reading and Leeds festival this summer. Check out our March interview with Inhaler here.

Arctic Monkeys play in Marlay Park on Tuesday June 20th.