Arctic Monkeys were formed in mid-2002 by friends Alex Turner, Matt Helders, and Andy Nicholson (who left the band shortly after their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, was released).

[18] The UK's Daily Star reported that this was followed in October by a £1 million publishing deal with EMI and a £725,000 contract with Epic Records for the United States.

[31] However, the band's June 2006 tour of North America received critical acclaim at each stop[32][33][34] – the hype surrounding them "proven to exist for good reason".

[9] During their headline act, the band performed with Dizzee Rascal and Simian Mobile Disco and covered Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever".

[76][77] Billed as being the group's own 'mini-festivals' both date saw support sets for Supergrass, The Coral, Amy Winehouse and Japanese Beatles tribute act The Parrots.

[86][87] During this tour, lead single "Crying Lightning", along with Humbug songs "Pretty Visitors", "Dangerous Animals" and "Potion Approaching" (then known as "Go-Kart"), was debuted live.

[9] It was later revealed by Matt Helders in a video diary that the album would consist of 14 tracks and that Turner would stay in New York to oversee the mixing of the material.

[90] On the same site, Turner revealed that the band had listened to Nick Cave, Jimi Hendrix and Cream while writing the new album, the title of which would be Humbug.

[96][97] Shortly before the release of the new single, the band did a one-off UK show at the Royal Albert Hall in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust on 27 March.

[9][98][99] During this performance, they played a number of songs from Humbug, plus older tracks such as "Brianstorm" and a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Red Right Hand".

[102] NME reported in May 2011 that the band were teaming up with producer James Ford once again and would be releasing their fourth studio album in late spring at the earliest.

[9] On 27 July, Arctic Monkeys played in the London Summer Olympics opening ceremony, performing "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and a cover of the Beatles song "Come Together".

[145] The album was recorded in Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, California and features guest appearances from Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Elvis Costello's drummer Pete Thomas and Bill Ryder-Jones of the Coral.

[155] Simon Harper of Clash magazine states: "Welding inspiration from hip-hop greats with rock's titans, AM is built upon portentous beats that are dark and intimidating, yet wickedly thrilling.

"[156] Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly gave it an 'A−' and opined that "AM mixes Velvet Underground melodies, Black Sabbath riffs, and playful grooves, and has fun doing it.

[160] Tim Jonze of The Guardian noted that the album "manages to connect those different directions – the muscular riffs of Humbug and the wistful pop of Suck It and See – with the bristling energy and sense of fun that propelled their initial recordings".

On AM, Turner continued to experiment with unusual lyrics, and the album includes the words from poem "I Wanna Be Yours" by John Cooper Clarke.

[188][189][190][191] Reflektor Magazine had the following to say about the album in a review, "After five years of silence, the Arctic Monkeys make their much-awaited return with surprising and hypnotic Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

Just like mankind first set foot on the moon on the 'Tranquility base' site, the Arctic Monkeys disembark in an unknown universe in which they reveal a new, unexpected aspect of themselves.".

[215][216] On 8 December 2021, the band was announced as the Saturday co-headliner of the 2022 Reading and Leeds Festival, alongside Bring Me the Horizon, Megan Thee Stallion, Rage Against the Machine and Halsey.

[234] The Car received praise from critics, being called the best album of the year by NME[235] as well as being in the top five of several publications, including Far Out,[236] DIY,[237] The Sunday Times[238] and The Guardian.

[257] A key part of their sound, and one that translates across their whole discography, is Turner's intricate and often rapidly delivered lyrics, sung in a distinctive strong Sheffield accent that their music became famed for in their early years.

[259][260] The punk poet John Cooper Clarke was a formative influence on Turner; his poem "I Wanna Be Yours" was adapted into a track on the band's fifth album AM.

[272] Songs such as "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "Do Me a Favour" explored failed relationships, nostalgia and growing old, while musically the band took up a more up-tempo and aggressive sound.

"[299] According to Vice, "in Britain at least, Arctic Monkeys have reached a point where they are too enormous, too beloved a force to truly fail" and are probably the UK's biggest, most culturally important band.

[305] Johnny Davis of Esquire wrote, "Every so often, a band emerges to define the times not just for a generation of music fans but for a whole era – the Clash, the Smiths, Oasis, the Strokes.

Where Arctic Monkeys may be unique is that they have now managed that role twice [with both Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not and AM]" The co-founder of the band's label Domino Records, Laurence Bell, said "They're the toast of the playground again, every 13-year-old loves them.

"[301] Other musicians have praised the band including Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page,[306] Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl,[307] Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich,[308][309][310] and rapper RZA.

"[315] The band was an object of discussion for cultural theorist Mark Fisher in regard to the concept of hauntology and what he described as "the lost futures" of modernity.

"[317] The band have influenced artists including Black Midi,[318] Blossoms,[319] Fontaines D.C.,[320] Wallows,[321] the 1975,[322][323] Halsey,[324][325] Yungblud,[326][327] Lewis Capaldi,[328] Louis Tomlinson,[329] Mahalia,[330] Arlo Parks,[331][332] Sam Fender,[333] Bring Me the Horizon,[334] Måneskin,[335] Hozier,[336] Slowthai, JID and Earthgang.