Arctic Monkeys' front man Alex Turner's friendship with Miles Kane from The Rascals led to two weeks in a chateau in Nantes, where the pair raided the back catalogues of Scott Walker, Jacques Brel and early David Bowie and came up with a bunch of songs full of crooning, 1960s grandeur. With Simian Mobile Disco producer James Ford on drums and the 22-piece string and brass section of the London Metropolitan Orchestra by their side, The Last Shadow Puppets' debut album Age of the Understatement (2008) came charged with vintage melancholy and the cinematic melodrama of a John Barry James Bond theme. It topped the UK charts and earned a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize, with the title track from the album reaching Number 9 in the singles charts and My Mistakes Were Made For You winning an NME Award for Best Video. The lads hit the festival circuit with Jack White making a guest appearance with them at Glastonbury, before bidding farewell with a well-received tour of the UK.
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