The Hives frontman Pelle Almqvist says Arctic Monkeys should carry on making the music that "feels right" to them.
Alex Turner and co's recent albums have seen them head in a space rock direction, but some fans of their early records – such as the noughties hits 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' and 'Mardy Bum' – are so much into their latest stuff, including latest LP 'The Car'.
Pelle, who recently supported the indie rockers on the road, is a fan of everything they do and hopes they continue to make the music they want to make.
Asked what it was like supporting the 'Snap Out Of It' group, he told Music Week: "Great. No complaints. A+ tour. Everyone was really nice to us. There were a s***-ton of people watching the shows. We got paid decently. It was really f****** fun and the weather was amazing throughout the whole tour. Also, I like Arctic Monkeys. I think they're pretty much the only good really big band I know [laughs]."
Asked about their polarising albums, he replied: "I think they should do what feels right. I think everything they've done has been good, it's just different genres. I can see that someone who loved the first album maybe isn't into the last album and vice-versa, but who gives a s***? They're doing what they feel like they should be doing and that's all there is to it. I like all their stuff, basically."
Pelle's comments come after Damon Albarn said Arctic Monkeys were the "last great guitar band" before the genre's recent resurgence.
The Blur and Gorillaz star admits guitar music had gotten "so sterile", and even though there are bands with a "huge amount of potential" coming through, Damon, 55, still believes the '505' rockers can't be beaten.
He told the 'Broken Record' podcast: “I feel like there’s a bit more excitement about guitar music again, that can’t be a bad thing because it got so sterile. For me, the last great guitar band would have been Arctic Monkeys and I don’t really know if there’s anything as good as that since.
“But now there are bands with a huge amount of potential. It’s really dismantled itself, guitar music, and put itself back together again in a different form. You’ve got some fantastic new mutations of the genius of it.”
