Matt Helders

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Matt Helders

Matthew Helders (born 7 May 1986), is the drummer for the band Arctic Monkeys. He is the most comprehensive backing vocalist, appearing in the tracks "You Probably Couldn't See For the Lights But You Were Looking Straight at Me" "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", "Teddy Picker", "Who the fuck are Arctic Monkeys", "Balaclava" and "D Is For Dangerous". He is seen as the band's "quietly amiable diplomat".[1].

Role as drummer

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"[2]. However, Helders has stated 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" [3]. 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 most was seeing Queens of the Stone Age live at a festival last year...as soon as they came off I was like 'Fuck – I need to start hitting harder'." [4] 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" [3]. Helders can play guitar also, as there are many videos and photos of him playing.

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."[4] 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." [4] Although he continued to live at home with his parents during the band's early career, Helders has followed Cook in moving into his own house, but has nonetheless stayed in the Sheffield area, saying "we still all live in the same place we grew up. It's probably just how we were brought up. We're never going to move away to London."[5]

Private Life

He has been romantically linked by the British media to An Unknown Brunette. [6] [7]

Helders drives a Vauxhall Corsa.

Outside of Arctic Monkeys

Helders will be remixing “We Rule The World (T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S)”, the Hives's 4th upcoming single from "The Black and White Album", and "Skin Divers", the Duran Duran's second single from "Red Carpet Massacre". He is rumoured to be drumming on the Prodigy's new album. He recently drummed with We Are Scientists at some of their recent UK shows.

Clothing line

Helders has 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 Matt himself and Supreme Being designer Skuff. One pound from each sale will go to the Arthur Rank Hospice. [8]

Equipment

Premier Gen-X Series: Arctic White 24"x18" Bass Drum 16"x16" Floor Tom 13"x8" Rack Tom 14"x4.5" Snare

Pearl 2000 Series: X2 Snare Stand (one for Tom and one for snare)

DW 9000 Hardware: Kick drum pedal- 9500 Hi Hat stand X2 9710 Straight Cymbal Stand

Evans Drumheads: Snare Evans EC Coated, EC2 Clear Toms EMAD2 Kick Drum Bum Avedis Zildjian: 14" Avedis Mastersounds Hi-Hats 18" A Custom Fast Crash 20" A Series Crash Ride

References

  1. ^ "The Lads Are Alright". Blender. May 2006.
  2. ^ "Brits go bananas". Hour.ca. 16 March 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-09.
  3. ^ a b "Bring on the backlash". The Village Voice. 8 June 2006.
  4. ^ a b c Usinger, Mike (2007-05-03). "Arctic Monkeys' Nightmare lives up to the hype". straight.com. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Arctic Monkeys conquer UK; Is America next?". Reuters. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2007-05-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ http://www.arcticmonkeysbr.com/fotos/albums/uploads/candid/backstage%20glastonbury/normal_04.jpg
  7. ^ http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00406/monkey_280x390_406731a.jpg
  8. ^ "Arctic Monkeys member premieres clothes collection". NME. 2007-03-06. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

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