Liverpool’s The British Music Experience, which presents the history of British rock and pop, is staging Don’t Believe the Hype… Uncovering the Artwork of Arctic Monkeys’ Debut Album.
This temporary exhibition, staged between 23 January and 22 March 2026, explores the creation and cultural legacy of one of the most recognisable album covers of the 21st century: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the 2006 debut by Arctic Monkeys. The exhibition is launching 20 years to the day of the album’s release.
Centred on the artwork surrounding the album, the exhibition moves beyond the iconic cover image to examine the wider visual world from which it emerged. The record cover has become famous for presenting an authentic portrait of youth culture from the time.
The exhibition documents the conceptual journey of Scott Jones, Creative Director for the album, alongside original photographic material, outtakes, interior imagery, and personal artefacts from the period.
The exhibition also reveals for the first time the photograph that inspired the smoke-filled photobooth image that became the album’s cover, which became iconic in representing a generation at the edge of the attention economy.
