Thursday's show at the Fillmore marks the Arctic Monkeys' first performance in Miami Beach, but the Sheffield, England rockers already count a famous local resident as an unlikely fan: Diddy. About this time last year, the band was in New York, putting the finishing touches on some studio tracks with Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford. When Ford had a gig playing the second day of Ultra Music Festival, Monkeys drummer Matt Helders tagged along.The Arctic Monkeys, with bassist Turner second from right.
Somewhere during a debauched Winter Music Conference party at Cameo, Diddy approached Ford and Helders, professing a love for both acts. What followed was an only-in-Miami stretch of early-morning partying at the mogul's mansion, the sleep-deprived results of which can be spotted on YouTube:
What also resulted, apparently, was a friendship. "I think Matt kind of had a bromance with him for a while," Monkeys bassist Nick O'Malley says. "When we played in New York, he came into the crowd and tried to get to the barrier, dancing along to one of our songs while people freaked out."