Arctic's Album Exclusive

Guitarist Jamie Cook says they are back in the studio this month

01 July 2008 - The Arctic Monkeys are heading back into the studio for album number three this month.

We caught up with guitarist Jamie Cook at Glastonbury, he told us the magic seems to happen in Alex Turner's bedroom: "Well I think we are gonna get finger out next month (July)... next month has been said. We are gonna make a start... (we'll) get back in his room in Sheffield and start writing some tunes."

With their first two albums receiving massive critical acclaim, Jamie wasn't sure which direction this album could take: "I don't know yet, we could go any way. I'm excited yeah... End of last year when we had been touring for a long time, we just needed a bit of a rest. But I think as a band we are just eager to get back in and really... I don't know what."

"End of last year we had just seen each other constantly for about four years" - Jamie Cook

Jamie also admitted that life for the band has been different since they stopped touring: "It's kind of wierd, Al's moved down to London now and we haven't seen each other for a bit. But we all keep on meeting up... it's good, like.

He continued: "End of last year we had just seen each other constantly for four years. Sleeping on a bus and waking up next to each other, it was like, 'I do not want to see you for about... for a long time!' But then you are kind of wierdly missing each other."

Jamie had just caught The Rascals performing their warm up show on the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury, and was quick to sing their praises: "Good yeah really good, the album sounds great... well, they're friends aren't they?"

Arctic Monkey's frontman Alex Turner and Rascals singer Miles Kane's group the Last Shadow Puppets have just announced a UK tour supporting their album The Age of the Understatement.

Could there be an Arctic Monkeys/ Rascals supergroup on the horizon? Jamie: "Oh it could definitely happen, I could see that! Yeah definitely. That's the best idea I have heard in a long time."

Watch this space...

Ruth Barnes