Matt Helders

Last updated

Matt Helders
HeldersMatt22.jpg
Helders performing with Arctic Monkeys in 2022
Born
Matthew Helders

(1986-05-07) 7 May 1986 (age 37)
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Other names
  • Matthew J. Helders III
  • Agile Beast
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Spouses
  • Breana McDow
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2016;div. 2019)​
  • ​
    (m. 2023)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • vocals
  • percussion
Years active2002–present
Labels Domino
Member of

Matthew Helders (born 7 May 1986) is an English drummer, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as a founding member and the drummer of indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has recorded seven studio albums.

Contents

In 2015, Helders collaborated with Iggy Pop and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Dean Fertita to record Pop's studio album, Post Pop Depression (2016).

Career

Helders has said that he ended up playing drums as "that was the only thing left. When we started the band none of us played anything. We just put it together. They all had guitars and I bought a drum kit after a bit." [4] However, Helders has mentioned the influence rap music has had on the band, saying "We were rap fans at school more than now ... it still influences us in some ways; like for me, it's the drummin'. The groove element, like foon-keh music." [5] In addition, Helders cites seeing Queens of the Stone Age as the biggest influence on his development as a drummer, saying "the one thing that changed me the most was seeing Queens of the Stone Age live at a festival ... as soon as they came off I was like – 'Fuck, I need to start hitting harder.'" [6] Helders also explained the band's insistence on singing in their native Sheffield accent, saying, "when you talk between the songs at a gig and you're speakin' English in our normal accent, it seems a bit strange when you burst into song like you're from California or something ... it looks a bit daft." [5]

In a similar fashion to other members of the band, Helders has remained true to his hometown roots, suggesting that seeing places all over the world makes him more appreciative of Sheffield, which still provides the basis for the band's lyrics. "And all around you, there's still plenty of things to write about. Touring lets you see a lot of places that you realise you wouldn't want to live in ... and when you come home, it's pretty easy to slip into your old ways, to all the places you've always gone." [6] Helders also points out that despite the fame of the band, he can still avoid being mobbed in the street – "If we all go out together at night clubbing, it's difficult, but alone you don't get recognised much." [6] In ode to his Sheffield roots, Helders can sometimes be seen with the numbers "0114" on the front of his drum kit, which is the dialing code of his native Sheffield. [7]

The most comprehensive backing vocalist of the group, his vocals have been featured on many of the band's songs. He often sings in response to or in harmony with lead singer Alex Turner, and sings lead or co-lead vocals on "D Is for Dangerous", "Brick by Brick", and "I.D.S.T.", as well as on parts of "You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me", "Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?" and "Teddy Picker".

Helders prefers playing the drums wearing a comfortable pair of 'joggers' instead of jeans "due to movement and sweat." Helders says "You don't want to sweat in your jeans and wear them the next day. Some people will call that rock and roll. I just call it unhygienic." [8]

Outside Arctic Monkeys

In 2008, Helders remixed "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S", the Hives's fourth single from The Black and White Album , and "Skin Divers", Duran Duran's second single from Red Carpet Massacre . He played a few TV shows with We Are Scientists in the UK [9] [10] as well as remixing their second single "Chick Lit" as a B-side for the vinyl release. He is featured on Toddla T's album Skanky Skanky . He remixed "Again & Again" for Roots Manuva, which gained airplay from Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1.

In August 2008, it was announced that Helders would compile the latest release in the LateNightTales DJ mix CD series. The set, entitled Late Night Tales: Matt Helders , was released on 27 October 2008 and included a spoken work track performed and written by bandmate Alex Turner. [11]

Helders recorded the drum tracks on Post Pop Depression , written by Iggy Pop and Josh Homme, which was released on 18 March 2016. Helders toured with them to support the album. [12]

Helders played on American singer Lady Gaga's 2016 album Joanne . [13]

In 2018, Helders produced for Milburn frontman Joe Carnall on his new project, released under the moniker Good Cop Bad Cop, [14] with an eponymous album being released on 29 March 2019, and a tour following, although Helders himself wasn't present at any of the gigs. [15]

Clothing line

Helders released his own clothing line, consisting of a jacket, a zip hood and three T-shirts. The garments went on sale in May 2007 with sales accompanied by a CD featuring an Arctic Monkeys remix by Helders and Supremebeing designer Skuff. £1 from each sale was to go to the Arthur Rank Hospice. [16]

Personal life

Helders started dating model Breana McDow in 2011, after they met on the set of the music video for Arctic Monkeys' single Suck It and See , [17] and became engaged in 2013. [17] In October 2015, the couple had a daughter, Amelia Darling Helders, resulting in their wedding being pushed for a year. [18] Helders and McDow finally got married in Rome on June 11, 2016. [19] [20] In early 2019, Helders filed for divorce from McDow. [20] In 2021, Helders started dating American rapper Amanda Blank. [21] They had first met in Brazil in 2007, after Blank had played a show with Arctic Monkeys. [22] Helders and Blank got married in September 2023, during the Arctic Monkeys' U.S. tour. [23] [24]

Helders lives in Los Angeles. [25] He became interested in photography as a child, but did not start taking pictures seriously until he began touring with the band. [26] Helders mostly shoots on film, and often uses a Leica M6, having used a Contax G2 and Canonet in the past. When shooting digital he uses a Sony α7. [27] He is inspired by William Eggleston. [28] One of his pictures was used as the artwork for, The Car (2022). [29]

Discography

Arctic Monkeys

Albums

Singles

As producer

As featured performer

Remixes

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Hawkins</span> American drummer (1972–2022)

Oliver Taylor Hawkins was an American musician who was best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters. Joining the band in 1997, Hawkins quickly became one of the group's most recognizable faces. He remained the band’s drummer for over 25 years until his sudden death in 2022. He recorded eight studio albums with the band between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band, he was a touring drummer for Sass Jordan and Alanis Morissette, as well as the drummer of the progressive experimental band Sylvia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic Monkeys</span> English rock band

Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield on 14 August 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. Former bassist Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor</span> 2005 single by Arctic Monkeys

"I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys released on 17 October 2005, through Domino Recording Company. The song was the band's debut single and the first from their debut studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006). Written by frontman Alex Turner and produced by Jim Abbiss, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is a garage rock, indie rock, and post-punk song. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 23 October 2005, and remains one of the band's best-known songs in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Turner</span> British musician (born 1986)

Alexander David Turner is an English musician. He is the frontman and lead singer-songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys. Turner is known for his lyricism ranging from kitchen sink realism to surrealist wordplay, which has been praised by music critics and the public. All but one of Turner's studio albums have topped the UK Albums Chart. He has won seven Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, and a Mercury Prize among other accolades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milburn (band)</span> English indie rock band

Milburn are an indie rock band from Sheffield, England, that consisted of Joe Carnall, Louis Carnall, Tom Rowley, and Joe Green. They announced their split on 28 March 2008, with the band playing one final gig at Sheffield's Carling Academy on 24 May 2008 before reuniting in 2016.

Ross Orton is an English songwriter, producer, and musician based in Sheffield. Orton is known for his work as drummer in Add N to (X) and as part of electro trio Fat Truckers, and since that band's split in 2004 has formed the Cavemen songwriting/production duo with Pulp's Steve Mackey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brianstorm</span> 2007 single by Arctic Monkeys

"Brianstorm" is a song by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys. It is the opening track on their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. The song was released as the first single from the album on 2 April 2007, debuting at number 21 in the UK Singles Chart via downloads alone. The single was released in physical formats on 16 April, the week before the release of the album, and charted at number two on the UK Singles Chart behind Beyoncé and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar". In Scotland, the song became the band's fourth consecutive number-one single on the Scottish Singles Chart. "Brianstorm" is one of the band's most successful singles worldwide, reaching number four in Denmark, number seven in Ireland, and number 10 in Spain. It came in at number 62 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Last Shadow Puppets</span> English band

The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of Alex Turner, Miles Kane, James Ford, and Zach Dawes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Kane</span> English musician

Miles Peter Kane is an English singer and musician, best known as a solo artist and the co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets. He was also the former frontman of the Rascals, before the band announced their break-up in August 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toddla T</span> English DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter

Thomas Mackenzie Bell, better known by the stage name of Toddla T, is an English DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

<i>Suck It and See</i> 2011 studio album by Arctic Monkeys

Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 6 June 2011 by Domino Recording Company. The album's songs were written by frontman Alex Turner in 2010 on an acoustic guitar in his, at the time, Brooklyn home. It was produced in Los Angeles at Sound City Studios by the band's longtime collaborator James Ford in early 2011, using mostly live takes opposed to overdubbing. The album's title, a British phrase meaning "give it a try", was viewed as provocative in the United States due to being misinterpreted as referencing fellatio, and was subsequently censored in some locations. The artwork features the album title in black over a cream colored background.

"Brick by Brick" is a song by Arctic Monkeys from the band's fourth album Suck It and See. The song was the first track to be revealed from the album, on 4 March 2011, and was designed as a teaser for the album rather than a lead single. The lead single was instead "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" which was released digitally on 12 April. A limited-edition white-label seven-inch vinyl version of "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" released on 16 April featured "Brick by Brick" as its B-side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suck It and See (song)</span> 2011 single by Arctic Monkeys

"Suck It and See" is a song by English band Arctic Monkeys. It was released on 31 October 2011 by Domino Recording Company as the third single and title track of their fourth studio album Suck It and See. Produced by James Ford and written by Alex Turner it was recorded at Sound City, Los Angeles in early 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Treacle</span> 2012 single by Arctic Monkeys

"Black Treacle" is a song by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released as the fourth single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was released as a digital download and a 7" vinyl on 23 January 2012. The single was limited to only 1,500 copies.

<i>Beneath the Boardwalk</i> 2004 demo album by Arctic Monkeys

Beneath the Boardwalk refers to a collection of 18 demo recordings by Sheffield band Arctic Monkeys which were burned onto CDs to give away at the band's gigs for free, and which emerged on the Internet in 2004, promptly file-shared amongst fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Blood (band)</span> English rock duo

Royal Blood are an English rock duo formed in Worthing in 2011. The current lineup consists of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher (drums). Their signature sound is built around Kerr's bass playing style, which sees him using various effects pedals and amps to make his bass guitar sound like an electric guitar and bass guitar at the same time. The duo were signed by Warner Chappell Music in 2013 and have since released four studio albums: Royal Blood (2014), How Did We Get So Dark? (2017), Typhoons (2021), and Back to the Water Below (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reverend and the Makers</span> English rock band

Reverend and the Makers are an English rock band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend". Their debut album, The State of Things (2007), helped them gain success in Britain and spawned the UK top 10 single "Heavyweight Champion of the World". The band released their second album, A French Kiss in the Chaos (2009), which led to them being invited to support Oasis on their final tour, playing venues such as Wembley Stadium. The band's third studio album, @Reverend_Makers, was released in 2012, their fourth studio album, ThirtyTwo, was released in 2014 which had more electronic and dance music influences. These were followed by Mirrors in 2015 and The Death of a King in 2017 which showcased a hard rock and folk influenced sound. Their seventh album, the soul and R&B inflected Heatwave in the Cold North was released in 2023 and became the band's first Top 10 album in the UK in 16 years.

<i>Post Pop Depression</i> 2016 studio album by Iggy Pop

Post Pop Depression is the seventeenth studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop, released by Caroline International / Loma Vista Recordings on March 18, 2016. Produced by Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, the album was recorded in secrecy and features contributions from Queens of the Stone Age keyboardist and guitarist Dean Fertita, and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Nicholson</span> English musician, DJ and producer (born 1986)

Andy James Nicholson is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and photographer, best known as the original bassist of rock band Arctic Monkeys, which he left in 2006. In 2008, he founded Mongrel with Jon McClure of Reverend and The Makers. In 2009, he became the bassist for ex-Milburn frontman Joe Carnall's band The Book Club, but left later that year to join Reverend and The Makers. He is currently producing and performing in hip hop group Clubs & Spades with Maticmouth from Reverend Soundsystem.

References

  1. ↑ Arctic Monkeys go rap Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Q Magazine
  2. ↑ "BBC – Seven Ages of Rock "What the World Is Waiting For"". Seven Ages of Rock. 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  3. ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Intelligent indie-rock from Sheffield". Clash . 5 January 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "Brits go bananas". Hour.ca. 16 March 2006. Archived from the original on 29 August 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2006.
  5. 1 2 "Bring on the backlash". The Village Voice . 8 June 2006. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 Usinger, Mike (3 May 2007). "Arctic Monkeys' Nightmare lives up to the hype". straight.com. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  7. ↑ "Why does Matt Helders have '0114' on his drum kit?". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "The view from... The Laundry Room". YouTube. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  9. ↑ "We Are Scientists: Powerful, Non-Vacuous, Brain Thrust Masters of Rock". Sentimentalist Magazine. 24 April 2008. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (19 March 2008). "We Are Scientists want Arctics drummer". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Matt Helders From The Arctic Monkeys To Compile The Next LateNightTales Archived 1 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Late Night Tales. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  12. ↑ "Iggy Pop and Josh Homme Team Up for Secret Album". The New York Times. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "Meet the Creative Team Behind Lady Gaga's 'Joanne' Album". Billboard. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Listen to a clip from 'Good Cop Bad Cop' – the project of Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and Milburn frontman Joe Carnall". Nme.com. 1 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Good Cop Bad Cop on Twitter: "Nah, not having this Emily. 1. Matt produced the record which means he helped make it, doesn’t mean he’d play it live. He’s kinda busy. 2. I’ve put out numerous messages saying he won’t be there. 3. To my knowledge, his image does not appear on any tour related promotion.‌ "". Twitter.com. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Arctic Monkeys member premieres clothes collection". NME . 6 March 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  17. 1 2 "Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders confirms fiancée is pregnant with their first child". NME . 19 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  18. ↑ Matt Helders (13 November 2015). "Amelia Darling Helders – I became a Dad the night before Halloween". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Anna Price Olson (13 January 2020). "A Romantic Wedding in Rome". Brides. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders files for divorce from Breana McDow". metro. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  21. ↑ "The Return of Amanda Blank". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  22. ↑ Amanda Blank (6 November 2022). "15 years ago Naeem and I played a show in Brazil with these guys" . Instagram.com. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Arctic Monkeys Drummer Matt Helders 'marries Rapper Girlfriend Amanda Blank in Secret Ceremony' After Three Years of Dating". 19 September 2023.
  24. ↑ Yasi Salek (12 September 2023). "24 Question Party People: Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys". Spotify. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Moayeri, Lily (3 May 2018). "British Indie Band Arctic Monkeys Return With Tranquility". L.A. Weekly . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  26. ↑ "Style - Matthew Helders". Gilded Birds. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  27. ↑ "MPB meets drummer and photographer Matt Helders". MBP. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "MPB meets drummer and photographer Matt Helders". MBP. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  29. ↑ Seabrook, John (2 October 2023). "A Drummer's-Eye View of the Arctic Monkeys". The New Yorker . Retrieved 15 October 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.