One of the more traumatic experiences of my youth happened in the spring of 1997. I was finally about to see Suede perform live, as the Britpop band were set to tour North America behind their glossy new LP Coming Up. Just before the tour kicked off with two May dates at New York City’s Supper Club, frontman Brett Anderson (shockingly) cut his hair; opting for a tight, almost mod-bangs look over the floppy, nose-length bit of black fringe that was as essential to Suede’s fashion as any blouse or leather jacket. Somehow, we lived through this.
That feeling of dread and confusion arose again last night when Arctic Monkeys dropped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform “The Ultracheese” off May’s Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino.
Turns out frontman Alex Turner, on the eve of the Arctic’s North American tour that lands at Boston’s TD Garden on Friday (July 27), went and shaved his head, giving fans something else to argue about beyond whether the band’s concept album is any good.
Turner’s new look naturally set off a shitstorm on twitter, but we think it suits him. Gone are the luscious locks, slicked back greaser-style, and here is a clean, compact look fit for tour in a strange land. It’s got a bit of a These People-era Richard Ashcroft vibe to it, a shared style with Turner’s Last Shadow Puppets bandmate Miles Kane, and maybe even a bit of Ringo Starr bravado.
Absorb it below, and gaze upon Alex Turner’s dome.
It’s not a bad look.
We give it four stars out of five.
Arctic Monkeys’ 2018 North American Tour:
July 24 — Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
July 25 — Canandigua, NY @ CMAC
July 27 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
July 28 — Washington, DC @ Anthem
July 29 — Washington, DC @ Anthem
July 31 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Centre
August 01 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
August 02 — Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza Festival
August 04 — Montreal, Canada @ Osheaga Festival
August 05 — Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Woah, check out the haircut on #AlexTurner! @ArcticMonkeys fans, what do you think??
Tune in to #LSSC tonight to see #ArcticMonkeys perform ‘The Ultracheese’ ???? pic.twitter.com/L3zQhjIwtH
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) July 24, 2018