Arctic Monkeys at BBC1 Radio's Big Weekend

Arctic Monkeys made an unannounced 45-minute appearance today at BBC1 Radio's Big Weekend in Carlisle, England.

'The View From The Afternoon'

'Brianstorm'

'This House Is A Circus'

'Still Take You Home'

'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'

'Teddy Picker'

'Crying Lightning'

'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'

'Cornerstone'

'The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala'

'Fluorescent Adolescent'

'When The Sun Goes Down'

Only two new songs. We've heard 4 or 5 of the new songs so far. The boys are currently touring Europe and America, although fans won't get to hear the full new album until next month.

May 17 9:30 Club - **SOLD OUT** Washington, DC (All Ages)

May 18 The Electric Factory - **SOLD OUT** Philadelphia, PA (All Ages)

May 19 House of Blues - **SOLD OUT** Boston, MA (All Ages)

May 21 Kool Haus - **SOLD OUT** Toronto, ON (All Ages)

May 22 Olympia de Montreal, Montreal, QC (All Ages)

May 24 Rumsey Playfield - **SOLD OUT** New York, NY (All Ages)

May 26 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI (All Ages)

May 27 The Rave, Milwaukee, WI (All Ages)

May 28 First Ave - **SOLD OUT** Minneapolis, MN (18+)

May 30 The Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO (16+)

May 31 In The Venue, Salt Lake City, UT (All Ages)

June 02 The Fox Theatre, Pomona, CA (All Ages)

June 03 Hollywood Palladium - **SOLD OUT** Los Angeles, CA (All Ages)

June 10 Don Valley Bowl - **SOLD OUT** Sheffield (All Ages)

June 11 Don Valley Bowl - **SOLD OUT** Sheffield (All Ages)

June 20 Admiralspalst, Berlin, Germany (All Ages)

June 22 E-Werk, Cologne, Germany (All Ages)

June 23 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands (All Ages)

June 26 Rock A Field Festival 2011, Luxembourg (All Ages)

July 01 Rock Werchter 2011, Werchter, Belgium (All Ages)

July 08 T In The Park, Kinross, Scotland (All Ages)

July 09 Oxegen, Punchestown Racecourse, Ireland (All Ages)

July 11 Les Nuits De Fourviere, Lyon, France (All Ages)

July 14 Super Bock Super Rock Festival, Portugal (All Ages)

July 16 Benicassim Festival, Benicassim, Spain (All Ages)

July 17 Gurten Festival, Bern, Switzerland (All Ages)

July 29 Fuji Rock Festival, Naeba Ski Resort, Japan (All Ages)

July 30 Jisan Valley Rock Festival, Seoul, South Korea (All Ages)

August 01 The Palladium Ballroom, Dallas, TX (All Ages)

August 02 Stubbs, Austin, TX (All Ages)

August 03 House of Blues, Houston, TX (All Ages)

August 10 The Showbox, Seattle, WA (All Ages)

August 11 Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR (All Ages)
August 12-14 Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA. (not yet announced which day of the festival they'll play)

August 27 Rock En Seine, Domaine National de Saint Cloud, France (All Ages)

September 03 I-Day Festival, Bologna, Italy (All Ages)

As you can see, several of the shows are already sold out, they are playing festivals all over Europe, will touch down in Japan and Korea, and will hit the U.S..... twice......

I've wondered how the lads feel about selling out huge stadiums in the UK and playing much smaller venues in the US, where many people still have no idea who they are. It seems they make half-hearted efforts to "conquer" America, but may be amused by their status as an "up and coming" band in the US. Maybe this album (and tour) will make an impact in America. Do the boys care? Probably a little, but not a whole lot. Many of the US shows are sold out, so that's a good sign, I guess. Every British band wants to "make good" in America, but the Monkeys are so huge and so successful in the UK and elsewhere that it must be refreshing to play smaller places and have to work for an audience.

Arctic Monkeys in Chicago last year. Photo by thissmallplanet for NewMusicToday