If you like
For fans of Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys fans land here for the rhythmic guitar work and the lyric attention. The contrast: Arctic Monkeys' writing reads like character sketches — specific, distanced, often funny. The Filibusters write in first person about the feeling itself, with less ironic remove. The instrumentation pulls from a similar palette — taut drums, melodic bass, guitars carrying the hook — but the songs sit closer to alt rock than to the dance-punk side of AM. If 'Do I Wanna Know' or the AM-era ballads are the connector, the live show is where The Filibusters will feel most familiar.
Where Alex Turner turns the camera outward onto scenes and characters, Hanna Eyre keeps it turned inward — the song is about what it feels like to be in it, not a portrait of someone else. That's a real difference in register, but fans who want the guitar-first approach will find it here.
The Filibusters play Velour and similar Provo rooms — the kind of 150-cap venue where Arctic Monkeys were playing before Whatever People Say I Am came out. If you want to catch a band in that early, close-quarters phase, this is it.
Start with: Break Up With Your Boyfriend
FAQ
- Are The Filibusters like Arctic Monkeys?
- Partially — the guitar-driven instrumentation and lyric attention overlap, but The Filibusters write more personally and directly than Arctic Monkeys' character-sketch style. Less irony, more first-person emotional writing.
- What Utah bands sound like Arctic Monkeys?
- The Filibusters are the closest match in the current Provo scene — guitar-forward alt rock with strong melodic hooks and a band that plays tight, energetic live sets.
- Where should an Arctic Monkeys fan start with The Filibusters?
- "Break Up With Your Boyfriend" — the taut, guitar-driven side that connects most directly to the AM sound.