Indie rock outfit Arctic Monkeys have a ton of hits under their collective belt. “Do I Wanna Know?” and “AM” are just a couple of noteworthy songs. There are also a few underrated hits that fans still love today, like “Fluorescent Adolescent” from the 2007 album Favourite Worst Nightmare. Interestingly enough, that’s one track that Arctic Monkeys stopped playing in recent years.
What’s not to love about it? It’s a pinnacle indie sleaze track about sex, getting old, and nostalgia. “Fluorescent Adolescent” managed to hit no. 5 on the UK Singles chart and was a hit for the rest of the year in the UK. It’s by far one of their most popular songs and was played repeatedly on the comedy series The Inbetweeners.
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So, why don’t Arctic Monkeys play this hit song anymore?
Why Arctic Monkeys Stopped Playing The Track “Fluorescent Adolescent”
“Fluorescent Adolescent” is one of Arctic Monkey’s biggest fan favorites. And that might be precisely why they don’t play it as much anymore. The band may just not resonate with their older music as much in recent years.
The song was once a go-to for their setlists, particularly as a show-closer. However, some fans noticed that the song was missing from their Tranquility Base Hotel And Casino Tour (with the exception of a few UK shows). It was also missing from much of the band’s most recent tour for The Car in 2022.
Some fans were obviously disappointed. Alex Turner kind of provided a bit of context into why the band left “Fluorescent Adolescent” out of their recent setlists in an interview with BBC Radio. In the interview, Turner was asked if he and the band ever go back and revisit older material. Turner replied that he definitely did, and that the band intentionally revisited older songs when compiling their setlist for the Tranquility Base Hotel And Casino Tour.
Turner didn’t explicitly name “Fluorescent Adolescent” in the interview. But, he did say that a few old tracks made him think that “we’ll probably leave that one out now”. Much of the band’s brighter and more upbeat songs didn’t fit the vibe of the Tranquility Base Hotel And Casino Tour, so those tracks (including “Fluorescent Adolescent”) got the boot.
Luckily, Arctic Monkeys may have changed their mind about this noteworthy hit. According to Setlist.fm, the band performed “Fluorescent Adolescent” 74 times while touring in 2023, so it looks like the song is finally back in action for concertgoers!
Photo by Zackery Michael / The Oriel
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