Matthew Helders
Matt Helders being interviewed on the set of the promo video Leave Before the Lights Come On
Background information
Birth name	Matthew Helders
Born	May 7, 1986 (1986-05-07) (age 21)
Origin	Sheffield, England
Genre(s)	Indie rock, Post-punk revival
Occupation(s)	Drummer
Instrument(s)	Drums Backing Vocals
Years active	2002-Present
Label(s)	Domino Records
Associated acts	Arctic Monkeys

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" and "D Is For Dangerous". He is seen as the band's "quietly amiable diplomat" .

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" . 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" . 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'." Helders also explained the band's insistence on using 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" .

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." 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." 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."

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.

See also

• Arctic Monkeys members
• Arctic Monkeys tour history
• Domino Records

References

1. "The Lads Are Alright", Blender, May 2006. 
2. "Brits go bananas", Hour.ca, 16 March 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-09. 
3. "Arctic Monkeys member premieres clothes collection", NME, 2007-03-06. Retrieved on 2007-05-04. 

External links

• Arctic Monkeys official website