Alternative History
Arctic Monkeys
ArcticMonkeys2018
Arctic Monkeys in 2018; from left and right: Jamie Cook, Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Miles Kane and Nick O'Malley.
Background information
Origin Sheffield, England
Genres Indie rock, Garage rock, Post-punk revival, Psychedelic rock, Alternative rock, Lounge pop
Years active 2002-present
Labels Domino - Warner
Website arcticmonkeys.com
Members
Alex Turner
Matt Helders
Jamie Cook
Miles Kane
Nick O'Malley
Past members
Andy Nicholson

Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook, guitarist/singer Miles Kane and bassist Nick O'Malley. Former bassist Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album was released.

Arctic Monkeys were heralded as one of the first bands to come to public attention via the Internet, with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed. Their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006), became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history at the time of its release and has been hailed as one of the greatest debut albums. The band's second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007), was also acclaimed by critics and won Best British Album at the 2008 Brit Awards. They went on to experiment with new sounds such as baroque rock and acoustic on releases such as The Age of the Understatement (2008), Humbug (2009), Colour of the Trap (2010).

The band return to their rock music roots with Suck It and See (2011). The band's wider international fame came with the success of their critically acclaimed seventh album AM (2013), which was supported by the global hit "Do I Wanna Know?". They continued their pop-rock style with their eighth album The Dream Synopsis (2016), blending pop with lounge music. Their ninth album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018), was a major departure from the band's previous guitar-heavy work, instead being a piano-oriented concept album. Their tenth album The Car, was released in 2022 and received nominations for the Ivor Novello Awards and the Mercury Prize in 2023. It received a Best Alternative Music Album nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, their third to do so, and their second consecutive nomination after Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

In the United Kingdom, the band became the first independent-label band to debut at number one in the UK with their first nine albums. The band have won seven Brit Awards; winning Best British Group and British Album of the Year three times, becoming the first band to ever "do the double" —that is, win in both categories— three times; a Mercury Prize for Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, an Ivor Novello Award and 20 NME Awards. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, AM and Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino are included in NME's and different editions of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time lists.