NOT EXACTLY ON E STREET:

Hugely hyped Arctic Monkeys deliver (BRIAN ORLOFF, 3/20/06, Chicago Sun-Times)

Each year we can count on the British to export a band so big, and so hyped, there is no choice but to shut up and pay attention.

In the past, groups like the Futureheads (justifiably cool), and farther back, Oasis (though they have failed to staggeringly succeed lately) earned mountains of praise. This year brings the Arctic Monkeys, a scruffy quartet from Sheffield, comprised of guys whose average age lingers around 20. The fanfare surrounding the Monkeys reached maximal heights last month after the group broke British sales records, outselling all the chart competition combined with its debut album, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not."

Though the album has performed moderately here since its late February release, the lads nevertheless managed to effortlessly sell out their short North American tour, which stopped Saturday night at a packed Metro.

Because of the mania surrounding the band, Saturday's show came slathered in expectation. And the Monkeys -- who appeared to be just four regular guys -- carried through their 55-minute set with breathless verve and just enough ragtag momentum to keep the young crowd engaged.

It is easy to get swept up by hyperbole, and Saturday's show was not the transcendent experience many -- especially the eager British press -- have characterized. But it was most certainly a high-energy experience, full of swagger and promise.

55 minutes? Why not just listen to the album instead?

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 20, 2006 12:00 AM