Arctics are hot.

Byline: Sam Wonfor

Arctic Monkeys, Metro Radio Arena I DON'T usually play favourites, but Matt Helders deserves whatever plaudits are a vailable to drummers.

His beat-keeping provided a relentlessly brilliant backbone to a (for the most part) banging gig. Up until then, I'd had the unadulterated pleasure of seeing the Monkeys three times.. all at Newcastle's 02 Academy. The last of these was when I was seven months pregnant and realised I had a son with rhythm during the head-banging bridge in Mardy Bum.

Hence. I was interested to see how the band, who recently changed direction with third album, Humbug, were going to fill the Arena. Bums on seats wasn't going to be a problem... it was packed out. But given that big show dance routines and aerial acrobatics were never going to feature, would their newly-grown bobs and back catalogue be enough.

Yes, pretty much as it turned out.

Vertical screens flanked the stage and offered a multitude of edgy close ups. Meanwhile, the band remained as tight as the pants Terry Wogan borrowed from the Points of View wardrobe department.

My only beef came with the amount of time devoted to the new album, which doesn't do it for me in the way the first two did. That, and Mardy Bum only getting a brief, and very reserved nod during an uncharacteristic encore.

My now two-year-old would not have been impressed.

Sam Wonfor