Arctic Monkeys have returned to the stage this evening (August 9) in Istanbul for their first gig since 2019. Alex Turner and co. took to the stage in Istanbul tonight for one of two nights at the Zorlu Center PSM. They’re next due to head to Burgas (August 12), Pula (August 16) and Prague (August 18). The band opened with some classics including “Do I Wanna Know” “Brainstorm” and “Snap Out Of It”. They also played “Potion Approaching” for the first time since 2010 in what was a 21-song, career-spanning set. No new songs were played at the gig. Addressing the crowd, Alex Turner said “It’s lovely to see you all.”

The stage set-up also featured a huge disco ball, which you can see below along with fan-shot footage and from the gig, along with some reaction from those in attendance here. Meanwhile, the band’s drummer Matt Helders recently spoke about the band’s upcoming new album, saying that musically it “picks up where Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino left off. The Sheffield four-piece have yet to officially announce the follow-up to their May 2018 album but new music from the band is expected to arrive this year given that the band are now out on tour.

After it emerged in August 2021 that the band had been recording new music in Suffolk, Helders told BBC Radio 5 Live in November that Arctic Monkeys “always do try and do something a bit different” with each release. When if the new album was “ready to go”, he replied: “Yeah, pretty much, yeah. It was a bit disjointed how we had to do it, and there are bits to finish off, but yeah, it’s all in the works.”

Arctic Monkeys will also go on to play gigs in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and France this month and are set to headline Reading & Leeds in August their only two UK live appearances scheduled for 2022 so far while their tour will also visit North America, South America and Australia after their European dates.

The set list for the gig was:

‘Do I Wanna Know?’
‘Brainstorm’
‘Snap Out Of It’
‘Crying Lightening’
‘Teddy Picker’
‘Potion Approaching’
‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’
‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’
‘Arabella’
‘Fireside’
‘Pretty Visitors’
‘Library Pictures’
‘Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’
‘The View From The Afternoon’
‘Do Me A Favour’
‘One Point Perspective’
‘One For The Road’
‘505’

Encore:
‘Cornerstone’
‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’
‘R U Mine?’