Arctic Monkeys: Never-before-seen photos capture famous Sheffield gig before band made history

The boys from High Green, Sheffield, played at the city’s iconic Leadmill nightclub on January 22, 2006 - the day before the launch of their era defining debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

The band already had two number one singles under their belts, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, and When the Sun Goes Down, and the buzz surrounding them was huge.

But their first album truly confirmed they were no flash in the pan, becoming the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history and cementing their status as legends in the making.

It’s remarkable to think that just two-and-a-half years earlier, on June 13, 2003, Alex Turner and co had played their first gig before a tiny audience upstairs at The Grapes pub in Sheffield city centre.

Their star had already ascended by the time they played at The Leadmill on January 22, 2006, but they were about to go stratospheric - and the lucky crowd there that night witnessed a piece of music history.

Now never-before-seen photos of that gig - at which the Arctic Monkeys were supported by Milburn, Reverend & The Makers and The Harrisons - have emerged.

They were shared with The Leadmill by Jasmine Khan, who took them as a 15-year-old fan stood at the barrier that night.

Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Andy Nicholson, before he was replaced later that year by Nick O’Malley, certainly look very different in the photos to how they do today, nearly 19 years later.

But the swagger and the energy which helped propel the foursome to stardom is evident even in the slightly blurry images.

The newly shared pictures have sparked plenty of memories of that legendary night.

One fan who was lucky enough to be there commented: “What a gig. What a set list.”

Another wrote: “I was there!! Good times.”

The Leadmill has shared the photos, courtesy of Jasmine, ahead of its annual AM Weekender this Friday, January 10 and Saturday, January 11, when it will again celebrate one of Sheffield’s greatest musical exports by playing the band’s best tunes from the last two decades.

For more information about the AM Weekender, and to book tickets, visit: https://leadmill.co.uk/events/club-nights/