No. 1 Party Anthem// Alex Turner

15 Think About Robert Plant

Alex's pov
It was another day of learning songs with Arabella, but that time, I was too tired to go to her room, so I hosted her in mine. It was a sunny day, warm enough to go to the beach, and windy enough to not melt. I wanted to go out so badly, but Arabella was too stubborn.
She wasn't happy, she entered the room with her guitar, with a numb face.
We sat on the settee and she tossed the paper sheets on the coffee table. «I think we should check the other songs before starting a new one.» she spoke.
I wanted to finish as soon as possible, to enjoy the beautiful day that it was. «It's pointless,» I said. «let's do the next song.»
She looked at me peeved. «What if you don't remember the songs on stage?» she asked.
I sighed and shrugged. «I'll improvise,» I said. «can we start the next song?»
She closed her eyes for a second before speaking, taking a big breath. «Fine,» she said sore. «these are the tabs.»
I played the song once, then twice, then again and again. But Arabella didn't seem to be satisfied. «What's wrong now?» I asked weary.
«You were out of time for a moment during the bridge.» she said.
«I played a chord a second before.»
«Exactly,» she said. «you did it wrong.»
Her use of the term "wrong" made my blood boil. I have had enough of her perfectionism, I was sure that on stage nobody would have noticed that little mistake I made. «We still have tomorrow, stop making it such a big deal.»
«You know what?» she said gently slapping her tight with her right hand. «Fine, we won't have the second guitar and I don't care if they want people to see us together, you're an asshole.» she said before standing up and amass her paper sheets, to pick them up, along with her guitar.
I frowned. «What? They want us together?»
«Yeah dickhead, why do you think they didn't ask for someone else to play the guitar? It would have been easier.»
She walked away, leaving me in my room. It was a relief once I was alone, I immediately went out with my friends and enjoyed the day.

Arabella's pov
Everybody was already out when I arrived to my room. I had nowhere to go, so I stayed there.
I sent a message to Jess, Evie and Chase, telling them we wouldn't have had a second guitar and it was Alex's fault.
It was too warm outside and the splint I was wearing made it even worst, so I stayed in the hotel, with air con, reading a book, since I couldn't play the guitar.

I stood up when somebody knocked at the door. I left the book facing the bed, opened at the page I was at. When I opened the door, I saw a blonde hair falling from a high ponytail. «What happened?» Evie asked me.
I frowned. «What'd you mean?»
She came in and I closed the door. «What did Alex do?» she asked.
She walked towards the settee and sat down with a thud. I followed her and sat besides her, to then turn to face her. «He didn't take the thing seriously so I told him we don't need him.» I calmly said.
«But we do.»
I tilted my head to one side. «No we don't.» I said.
«What about Jess's song?»
«He can play and sing.»
Evie sighed exhausted. «If you say so.»

The following day, we had the show. I was quite nervous since it was the first time I performed with a dislocated wrist.
As always, after the Arctic Monkeys rehearsed their show, we had our sound check.
The Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre could fit many more people I thought it could fit, and as Mark told us, it was the Australia's third-largest permanent indoor arena.
«You guys ready?» Evie asked.
I looked behind me, at her. «What should I do?» I asked. «It's weird without a guitar.»
«Just grab the mic and sing.» Evie said.
I turned around, towards the not-present crowd and grasped the microphone from its stand.
The music started and I started singing, but I didn't know what to do, so I stood still, looking like an elementary school kid in choir.
We had to leave the stage before the people entered the building and in the backstage, I started panicking. «Did you see me? I was embarrassing.»
«C'mon it wasn't that bad.» Evie said.
Jess raised his eyebrows. «She looked like a popsicle.»
Evie slapped him on his chest and looked back at me like nothing happened.
«Out in five.» a man, wearing a black shirt saying "staff" on the back, told us.
«No I can't do it,» I said. «Evie you'll sing, I'll be here in the back.»
Chase approached and out a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. «Think about Robert Plant... or Julian Casablancas... or Damon Albarn, copy them.»
I nodded. «It can work.» I said.
«That's it?» Evie asked. «This was enough?»
Chase shrugged.
«No it's not enough, but I'm trying to convince myself it is.» I said.
Once on the stage, I used my usual technique, to not freak out. «If the music sucks tonight it's 'cause I dislocated my wrist.» I said, to play down. As the music started, I started moving my head and I took the microphone off of its stand, going around the stage. The audience seemed to vibe along and at the end, it wasn't as bad as I imagined.