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Album of the Week: Arctic Monkeys, 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall'

December 21, 2020

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Arctic Monkeys, 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall'Domino

One of the hallmarks of 2020 is great live album releases. As we close out the year at The Current, we've been featuring some of the great live albums that have been released to fill the live music void left by the pandemic. While fans wait for Arctic Monkeys to return with a new studio album, they have released one of the best live albums to date.

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is flawless live recording that captures 86 minutes of their set from a 2018 show to benefit War Child. It showcases many of the band's most recent songs along with fan favorites and a presence from the audience that will deliver you back to the live music experience so many of us are craving. The album shows off how Arctic Monkeys, led by rock sophisticate Alex Turner, have become an incredible live act in person and on record. You can hear the musical ensemble shine through the ambient noise captured in one of the world's most legendary concert halls. From the frenetic "Brianstorm" to the meandering "Arabella," you're left wishing you could have been in the crowd but grateful to have this album to consume as we are all socially distancing.

Live at the Royal Albert Hall, like so many live albums, whets your appetite for hearing another studio album and teases a future when bands are back on the road. Even though most of the material on the album is recent songs, you'll feel that sense of nostalgia and comfort in hearing a crowd of show going fans hanging on every chorus and verse. If you find yourself looking for an escape this holiday season, turn this one all the way up, close your eyes, and let yourself join the concert experience in anticipation of the year ahead.

Arctic Monkeys' Live at the Royal Albert Hall is out now on Domino Records.

Album of the Week: Arctic Monkeys, 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall'

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