Knives of steel

OMM 'represented' at the Arctic Monkeys' homecoming gig in Sheffield last night. This writer last visited the same venue - the Octagon - to see Blur back in 1994. This was just before Parklife came out, and Britpop blossomed, and the world tilted on its axis. So some comparisons are probably in order. It's more than stating the bleedin' obvious to suggest that Alex Turner and co have a bright future ahead of them - and yes, the gig was brilliant - but this much was interesting: whereas Blur sought approval and relished the sight of the teeny-bopping girls back then, the Monkeys already seem wary of blinkered adoration. Alex seemed genuinely affronted when the crowd didn't cheer a new song as loudly as their 'classics' (as he knowingly referred to the songs on the album). Perhaps they're just too cool. Perhaps one of the reasons they are so successful is that in this world of myspace.com and MP3s and musical saturation, it's more important than ever to make demands of us, the lazy listeners.