Arctic Monkeys discuss their Finsbury Park gigs

Arctic Monkeys have discussed their upcoming gigs in London's Finsbury Park this weekend, lifting the lid on their excitement surrounding the huge gigs and revealing what songs fans might (or might not) be able to expect from their performances.

The Sheffield stars will perform to 80,000 people across two shows on 23 and 24 May 2014, where they will be supported by the likes of Royal Blood, Miles Kane and Tame Impala. The band have become festival headliners in recent years, having topped the bill at Glastonbury in 2013. Frontman Alex Turner admits they are becoming more comfortable playing such huge shows, but insists that they will always feel special.

"Playing large shows has, to some degree, become second nature. We've been around the block a few times now," he tells NME. "I saw the Stones at Glastonbury and they've been doing it since they were younger than I am now, and it still seemed like it meant a lot to them."

The band recorded their hugely successful AM album in America, and Turner adds that some of the excitement surrounding these shows comes from playing to a home crowd. "Honestly, the reason we're most excited about it is that we don't get to play the UK as much as we used to, just because of the way it is now," he adds. "Any chance to come home - or as close to home as London - is exciting for us."

When quizzed on what songs they will perform at the show, drummer Matt Helders suggests that a number of fan favourites might be absent from the setlist, having learned about UK fans tastes when during their Glastonbury gig in 2013.

"We ain't got to the point of writing it down yet," Helders tells the magazine. "We kind of felt that way about Glastonbury, that we should play songs like 'Mardy Bum' and 'Fake Tales of San Francisco,' but it didn't really get the response I thought it would. I know people still have a massive affiliation with that first album in England, but I think they've also moved on from it a bit as well."

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