Inside the magic of royal architecture that elevated Arctic Monkeys’ cosmic show at the Albert Hall
So who you gonna call? A beautiful audiovisual memory from Arctic Monkeys’ stunning gig at the London’s finest cathedral of culture will support War Child UK.
Imagine all the people inside the Italianate-futuristic colosseum, levitating and raving on the timeless sound flowing from the legendary Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino. On June 7, 2018, Arctic Monkeys smashed the time and space with their glorious set at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall. Now, they’re pushing the whole act to another level of blessing, releasing a gleaming live record from the memorable night to support the vital work of War Child UK.
Help!
War Child is an independent, non-governmental organisation founded in 1993 by the filmmaker tandem of David Wilson & Bill Leeson after their horrific experience in former Yugoslavia during the Bosnian war (1992–1995). Its main aim is simply to help children living in war areas. For the members of Arctic Monkeys who have been supporting the charity for a long time, the goal is to raise enough money to support and appreciate the organisation’s life-work of protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced such traumas. Not a lockdown, but the real horror of war which is constantly devastating whole families, cities, and nations.
“The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at The Royal Albert Hall. All proceeds will go directly to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK,” writes the band on their website on the occasion of the album release on 4th December 2020.
One image, so much history
Taking a more detailed look, we have to appreciate one crucial fact: the record is a gentle combination of a plausible beneficial project and a piece of AM art, the second huge live album in the band’s history, the first being the DVD+album At the Apollo recorded in December 2007 in Manchester Apollo (directed by Richard Ayoade and his powerful cinematic eye, almost as a remarkable music-film noir).
It was the iconic Royal Albert Hall, formerly the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences opened in 1871, which became their grandiose tranquillity base in the London universe two years ago. And it’s the futuristic sonic panels (so-called “mushrooms”) of the venue that are, in a sensitive contrast with the classic interior, the main stars of the album’s pure, minimalistic artwork. These UFOs also create the natural link to the space-design of the last band’s album (I am deeply in love with the feeling given by the subtle Times New Roman font and all the orange colouration) which was literally situated into the lovely phantasmagoric Hotel+Casino+Taqueria on the Lunar surface, in the heart of the Sea of Tranquility — exactly the same spot, where the eagle of Apollo 11 landed on July 20, 1969. Of course, the main question still stands: was the one giant leap for mankind directed by Mr Stanley Kubrick himself? Maybe Turner has the answer. Or Mr K does?
What’s The Story (Albert Hall Glory)
The structure of the body and the architecture of the soul of the Royal Albert Hall (originally named simply Central Hall) as an epic cultural oasis with deep history is a phenomenon even nowadays. As one of the major interests of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, the dome was designed as a part of his master-planned Albertopolis to promote “understanding and appreciation” of the Arts and Sciences. The magnificent cathedral was designed by a team of Royal Engineers, on the basis of the blueprint made by prominent engineer Captain Francis Fowke.
The palace that drew its architectural inspiration from the Rome Coliseum was built between the years 1867–1871, swallowing over 6 million red bricks and 80,000 blocks of terracotta. The ultimate geek fact is that the jaw-dropping, glazed-iron dome had to be completely constructed in Manchester. The builders then had to take it apart and transport the whole monumental thing by horse-drawn carts right to London.
When first people visited the hall, they were astonished by the size, but also by the breath-taking ornamental interior with reddish and gold tones. No one back in the time could have been worried about the quality of the sound and acoustics of this extraordinary venue. However, problems appeared immediately during the series of the upcoming musical events. And it was this sheer and enclosed space in combination with the reflection of the sound of this shiny glass roof that created a very strange echo. Every person who came to enjoy the concert talked about this — that they heard everything twice.
Almost an urban legend around this building was born and it was the installation of the sea of the sonic mushrooms or “acoustic saucers” (ok, the fact is that UFOs are made of fibreglass) on the dome‘s ceiling in the late 1960s that helped to partially resolve the whole iconic problem from 19th century.
Even though the Monkeys fell in love with these saucers and put them on the cover of the live record, everyone knew the solution was simply not final. The ultimate step was made in early 2017 when the most complex renovation of the main hall in its 150-year history began. The legendary echo was made disappear forever by installing another field of acoustic diffusers hanging from the ceiling, in the vicinity of the sonic mushrooms.
Arctic Space Oddity
For me, it has always been interesting to analyse the architectural themes in the discography of Arctic Monkeys. The artwork for their second LP called Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007) is based on a night portrait (real photography with a strong digital intervention) of a classic brick row-house in Liverpool filled with a mad story from our favourite worst nightmares, accompanied by the Saul-Bass-style-inspired title. And, of course, Tranquility Base (2018) itself.
What an iconic sleeve, which is a reflection of Alex Turner’s wish to become a moon-based builder, heavily inspired by architectural futurists such as John Lautner or Eero Saarinen, or by the production design of Kubrick’s masterpieces The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey. There is a huge amount of imagery flying somewhere between architectural landmarks and a never-built hotel on, or directly in, the Moon itself. But not now, this is a story for a different time. Maybe next time. Till then, ask your loved ones: “What do you mean you’ve never seen Blade Runner?”
