Arctic Monkeys: 20 years since the band’s first gig at The Grapes pub in Sheffield

Arctic Monkeys have marked 20 years since they first took to the stage at a community-loved Sheffield pub. The Grapes pub, on Trippet Lane in Sheffield city centre, is adored by locals and visitors alike.

The iconic pub is now immortalised in history for hosting the globally-adored Indie-rock band’s first ever gig on 13 June 2003, when the band members were just 16-years-old. Interestingly, the room in which Alex Turner rocked the stage for the first time is now used for accommodation purposes. 

A rare audio recording from the band’s first ever live performance has recently surfaced on YouTube. A Sheffield local who lived opposite the iconic pub said: “I lived over the road from The Grapes, used to hear the Arctic Monkeys playing there. It was annoyingly loud and kept my baby daughter awake.  That baby girl is now 19 years old and is, yes you guessed it, she’s constantly playing the Arctic Monkeys.”

The Grapes, run by landlady Anne Flynn, attracts visitors from across the globe due to its Arctic Monkeys links. It also allegedly serves one of the best pints of Guinness in Sheffield. Just last weekend, Arctic Monkeys returned to Sheffield for two shows at Hillsborough Park, as part of their UK and Ireland tour

Anne said the two homecoming gigs saw Arctic Monkeys superfans visiting her pub. Some had flown from as far as Mexico, and were intending to make multiple plane journeys to see the band perform numerous times. She said: “We had two or three fans in from Mexico on Wednesday, who had booked two nights in Sheffield. They were then heading to Dublin, and then to Paris to see them there as well.”

She also commended the band’s progression and success in the music industry since their humble beginnings at the Sheffield pub, saying: “It is nice to see that the group is so well thought of. The upstairs, where they played, is a sitting room now. If I’d known what was going to happen I’d have made it into something like The Cavern - but I’m so pleased for them.”

Arctic Monkeys lead singer, Alex Turner, notably returned to The Grapes a few years back, to show his girlfriend the venue where his band’s global success all began.