Arctic Monkeys were ‘representatives of rock n roll’ at the Brits

Looking back on his forensically analysed acceptance speech at the Brit Awards earlier this year, Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner has told Esquire he felt like the band were ‘representatives of rock n roll’ at the ceremony.

“I suppose on some level, in that environment, rightly or wrongly, it almost feels like we were representatives of guitar music, or rock’n’roll,” Turner has said.

“And while I don’t see getting any trophy as a great victory, in some sense it’s a victory for our music. But I can’t go up and gush about how I dreamt about picking up a Brit Award all my life, because it just isn’t the truth.”

Collecting the prize for British Album at the Brits in February, Turner just about made it through his speech during which he paraphrased two famous Neil Young lines by saying rock and roll ‘sometimes fades away’, but ‘will never die’ – sparking a bizarrely over-the-top debate in the press.