Alex Turner with Judan Suki at Sheffield's 2fly Studios, Turner asked Alan Smyth if he would produce an Arctic Monkeys demo. Smyth obliged and "thought they definitely had something special going on. I told Alex off for singing in an American voice at that first session." An introduction by Smyth led to the band acquiring a management team, Geoff Barradale and Ian McAndrew. They paid for Arctic Monkeys to record numerous three-song demos in 2003 and 2004. Barradale drove the band around venues in Scotland, the Midlands, and the north of England to establish their reputation as a live band. They handed
Alex Turner years old. At the age of five, Turner met his classmate and neighbour Matt Helders, and they grew up together. They met Andy Nicholson at secondary school and the three friends bonded over their shared enjoyment of rap artists such as Dr. Dre, Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, and Roots Manuva. They spent their weekends "making crap hip-hop" beats using Turner's father's Cubase system. Turner and his friends became interested in guitar bands following the breakthrough of The Strokes in 2001. That Christmas, when he was fifteen, Turner's parents bought him a guitar. Turner was educated at Stocksbridge High School (1997–2002). He