Arctic Monkeys Dust ‘Mardy Bum’ Off For First Full Performance In 16 Years

31 May 2023 | 1:26 pm | Ellie Robinson

They also performed ‘My Propellor’ for the first time in nine years.

Photo of Arctic Monkeys

Photo of Arctic Monkeys (Source: Supplied)

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Arctic Monkeys performed in Bristol, England earlier this week, treating fans to one of their all-time deepest cuts: Mardy Bum, from their 2006 debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.

The song itself isn’t technically all that rare in the Arctic Monkeys’ pantheon of setlist staples, however since 2014, it’s only shown up as an interpolation or snippet. Even before then, the version they played towards the end of the song’s lifecycle was a shortened, semi-acoustic composition. But Monday’s set saw the band revisit the original tune, marking their first live performance of it in some 15 years.

One lucky fan managed to capture the moment on film – take a look at their footage below.


Mardy Bum opened the Arctic Monkeys’ 21-song set in Bristol, with the rest of the night leaning heavily on cuts from 2013’s AM album. Another rarity came 11 songs in, when the band performed My Propellor (a highlight from 2009’s Humbug) for the first time since 2014. They also covered I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke, and accompanied Arabella with an instrumental “interlude” of Pretty Visitors. The full setlist can be found here.

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Bristol’s show kicked off an ongoing tour of the UK and Europe, with a North American run following in August. The band are currently touring in support of their seventh album, The Car, which arrived last October via Domino Records.