Arctic Monkeys ‘ban’ BBC from showing Reading Festival set

The Arctic Monkeys have asked the BBC not to broadcast their headline set at Reading Festival tonight.

It’s not immediately clear why the Sheffield band have asked for the set not to go out live across the national broadcaster this evening, but BBC Radio 1 confirmed in a tweet that it would not go out at the band’s request.

The band are one of a host of big stars set to play at the Reading and Leeds Festival, with performances from Megan Thee Stallion, The 1975, Dave, Halsey, and Bring Me The Horizon amongst others set to feature.

Alex Turner and his bandmates are set to take to the stage on the southern leg of the festival from 09:20pm to 11:20pm this evening, but the set won’t be available to stream at the time.

On Twitter, BBC Radio 1 said: “At the artists request, we will not be able to bring you the Arctic Monkeys set live this evening.

“But you will be able to watch them tomorrow on BBC One, from 23:35.”

There’s some good news for the armchair Monkeys fans out there, if you haven’t got a ticket to the big events, you will still be able to catch the set at a later date, they just seem to not want it going live.

Obviously fans aren't best pleased about not being able to catch the set live tonight.

One said: "Why do they get to decide this?"

Another wrote: "I’m so annoyed about this! I was so looking forward to watching their set as they’re one of my favourite bands"

However, some agreed with the band's decision, with one writing: "It’s probably because they want people that paid to see it live at Leeds to see it before people at home which is understandable."

Fans of the band have been ramping up through the gears in recent days as the news emerged that the band are preparing to release their next album The Car on 21 October.

The band’s seventh album and follow-up to 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is believed to have been written at Butley Priory, the gatehouse of an Augustinian monastery in Suffolk.

Drummer Matt Helders updated fans in 2021 on their progress, claiming that their next offering was ‘pretty much’ finished and likely to be available for public consumption before their 2022 tour.

That means there will likely be a few new tunes in tonight’s set at Reading.

Maybe that’s something to do with why they don’t want it going live?

Much like everything else, Helders admitted that the pandemic left the band ‘faced with various obstacles’ while trying to create their next album.

At the time, he explained: “Being separated by the sea is one of them.

“We’re all eager to do it – we would have been doing it by now in a normal time.”

Still, there’s not long to go now, Arctic Monkey enthusiasts.

You’ll just have to wait a bit longer than tonight to hear new material.