By Sam Fleury ’10
THE ROUNDUP

As the sun went down over Tempe town lake people drizzled into the concert for the indie-rock bands.

They came by foot, car and light rail, getting there hours before the first band even got on stage.

Paired up with Sleepy Sun, the Arctic Monkeys left a rocking impression on the Marquee crowd April 15.

Sleepy Sun kicked off the night at around 8. This was the first time I had heard this band and their groovy style. To pin them in a genre is difficult because they range from psychedelic rock to a blues-rock mix all while maintaining a unique San Francisco sound.

Their first few songs really grabbed the crowd by utilizing their vocals. Honey Pie Brown, vocals, has the voice of an angel. Her voice along with a quick kick of contrast kept the audience tuned in.

Sleepy Sun’s use of guitar was a nice mix of entrancing sounds that are contrasted by biting riffs.

And out of nowhere comes a harmonica that gives the listener a blues feeling that they use wonderfully as another ingredient in their peculiar style.

Throughout their set they incorporate shells, maracas and shakers much like the harmonica.

As a person who tolerates some psychedelic rock I found myself enjoying the Sleepy Sun’s mix of styles. They were definitely a good opening band for the Arctic Monkeys and after the show I was enticed to look up their music for further listening.

The Arctic Monkeys hail from Sheffield, England. They started small; just a few school mates playing together. Their music is classified in the indie rock genre.

They played locally passing out burned CDs of their music. That music made it to the Internet and their popularity blossomed.

With their album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” they took off, topping the charts and achieving the fastest selling debut album in UK music history.

The Arctic Monkeys started off strong and alternated from slow to quick paced. This was a nice mix up because the crowd got a well-rounded set of the Arctic Monkeys’ music.

Their set list included quite a few from their new album “Humbug,” but there were a lot from their previous albums. “I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor,” “505” and “If You Were There, Beware” were some songs on the set list. I was almost disappointed they didn’t play “Fluorescent Adolescent” but was relieved when they came back and played it in the encore.

Accompanying the music was an amazing light show. The band appeared on stage shrouded in flashes of light.

There was a multitude of strobe lights that matched up with the music to push the crowd into a musical daze. Back lights also made the cool effect of silhouetting the band. Lighting is always a big part of shows and this was pristine.

By the end I was exhausted having danced to most of the Arctic Monkeys’ set. At about 11 the encore had ended and people began making their way home. With the Marquee’s close proximity to the light rail parking problems were nonexistent.

Over all I rate the concert a 4 out of 5.