3. ARCTIC MONKEYS
In this image of Arctic Monkeys, the background is
primarily a blank wall, with instructions onto the stage
pointing in the direction of where the band are standing,
with one of the band members even facing the indicated
direction. This insinuates how focused the artists are on
the music they play, and is also indicative of their
eagerness to play it to their fans – thus gaining them
favour with fans of new and old. It also alludes to their
edgy status, with the blank white wall emphasising their
body language, positioning, and dark clothing. The
repeated use of denim and dark clothing emphasises
them as a typical indie rock band, as these are clothes
that are so often associated with the genre, though the
carefully selected look suggests that they focus just as
much on image and projection as they do on the music
they play. Coinciding with this point, the lead singers
(Alex Turner) is slicked and styled into a noticeable quiff,
which perfectly matches the current hairstyle trends.
Ultimately, this consolidates the band as a well-known,
mainstream indie rock band, what with the conformation
to clothing and trends, and the lack of any real posing
showing that the public will recognise them
immediately, without need for any gestures or signs.
The style of indie rock is also hinted at in their appearance.
Generally, the hair of the band members mainly remains short
and styled, with no fringes or unkempt straggles, so their faces
are emphasised in greater clarity. Because of this, one can
assume that the style of music is quite ‘clean’ in the sense that
it is radio-friendly, and more traditionally indie than rock, and
this is also emphasised by the bright, ambient lighting which
highlights them in great detail, with no shadows. Proceeding on
from this, the body language is also quite non-aggressive and
held back, with arms being held behind backs in a gesture of
recessive harmlessness – but may also be suggesting that they
are hiding something, adding an edge to a seemingly simplistic
image, and the blank facial expressions mirror this viewpoint.
Moreover, the fact that Turner is central to the picture
epitomises that he is the band leader, and he also possesses
the only prop in the image in the form of a vinyl, and this is
presumably a promotion for their new album, AM. However, the
fact that Turner chooses to advertise it on vinyl as opposed to
CD or MP3 download indicates that he wants the audience to
buy actual physical copies of the album, as opposed to
downloading it, and this will appeal to many older fans and also
younger ones with values in ‘hipster’ ideology. The fact that he
is holding it up tells the audience to buy it.

5. Queens of the Stone Age
This image captures the essence of QOTSA’s style as a
band and the type of music that they play. The background
shown is a cobbled wall with a darkened entrance located
just behind the band members, and the positioning of the
band members makes it appear as though they are about
to enter the darkness. Subsequently, this already is
indicative of the band being centred around the more
rock-orientated aspects of the genre, and it can indeed be
said that they actually fall more into the category of rock
despite featuring on several issues of NME. Furthermore,
the natural lighting allows for clear definition of facial
features but also casts some of the band members into
slight shadow, which hints that the music itself is natural
but also contains elements of complexity, embodied in the
‘shadow’ cast by the light. Contrasting to the Arctic
Monkeys image, the overall body language displayed here
is more aggressive, coinciding with the fact that they are
more of a rock-orientated band. Homme (the lead singer)
appears to be rolling up his sleeves, in preparation for
conflict, and other band members appear reserved in their
blank expressions, or intimidating in their folding of arms
and side profile. The mixture of styles shown here shows
how QOTSA incorporate a variety of music influences into their
music, and this consequently expands their fanbase substantially.
Similarly, the mixture of styles is also reflected in the clothing of
the band, with some members appearing casually smart and others
appearing very smart and formal, in full suits and ties. Homme
himself stands out as he is the only one wearing a bold, bright red
colour amongst the black and grey of his fellow bandmates, and
this epitomises him as the lead singer as well as his central
positioning in the image. Also, the colour scheme used in their
clothing is reflective of the colour scheme they advocate on the
majority of their bands and the logo of their band, ensuring that it
will stick in the memory of the observer. The hair of the band
members is generally unkempt and dark, but with Homme it is
styled and ginger, and this again singles him out as the dominant
figure. The fact that tattoos are also visible secures their position
as a rock band and expresses their rebellious nature, as this is
commonly associated with receiving tattoos. Likewise, the absence
of any props allows the observer to deduce that it is all about the
music, with no need for gimmickry or distractions or poses of any
kind, and this in itself also manages to insinuate that the band are
already well-established, with no need to prove themselves in any
shape or form.

7. Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire’s image incorporates numerous styles and
band members into one image. In terms of the background,
a huge white canvas lies behind them, and it appears to be
emanating a significant amount of ambient lighting which
is providing backlight for the band members – while
natural lighting highlights their front side to a lesser
extent. This could suggest that the band are leaving the
traditional expectations of mainstream indie rock behind
them – in the form of the ‘light’ – and embracing the darker,
more varied aspects of the genre, seen in the fact that they
are facing their own shadows. Accordingly, this is further
justified by the costume of the band members, which is
hugely varied and appears to suggest a number of different
styles gathered from different musical influences. For
example, Win Butler (the lead singer) wears a two tone,
vintage shirt with braces, with Will Butler (at the back)
wearing a patterned denim shirt and Regine Chassagne
(far left) advocating a black dress with a vivid red
belt/ribbon. Generally, this displays how they are not a part
of mainstream indie rock and are attempting to promote
their music by incorporating the many different elements
of it into their clothing. Moving on to the placement of the
band members, the positioning is scattered and random,
although it is easy to tell that Butler is the lead singer by the
fact that he is central to the image, closest to the camera, and
facing it directly, as opposed to the body positions of the
other members majoritively facing different directions. In
doing this, it almost seems like all other band members are
anchored to Butler, illustrating him as the dominant figure.
The body language shown is non-aggressive and passively
confrontational, with hands being held on hips and members
standing straight and staring rigidly into the camera. Butler
himself has his hand on his heart, which acts as a perfect
summarisation of the music that the band plays; despite the
range of different influences, it all comes from the heart, and
this significantly increases its appeal to current and
potential fans. Minimal makeup is used on the female
members, with eyeliner being the primary use, and this
merely reflekts the darker edge that can be found in their
music. Moreover, the hair of the band members is varied
substantially, with Butler displaying very uniquely styled hair
and other band members having unstyled, messy hair. The
prominence of Butler is highlighted again in his unique style,
whereas the rest indicate that they do not care – it’s all about
the music.