My name is Andrew James Nicholson, though most people just call me Andy.

I was born on 9 April 1986, to an English mum and an American dad. The first years of my life were spent in Santa Barbara, California, before my family came back to Sheffield, where it was me, my mum, and my brother against the world. As a kid, I loved football, sport in general, and all kinds of music— especially hip-hop and reggae. That love of music set me on a path I never could have imagined.

When I was twelve, I moved from Myrtle Springs to Stocksbridge High, and on my very first day I found myself in a classroom full of strangers. Within minutes, I’d gravitated towards Alex Turner and Matt Helders—a friendship that still runs strong to this day. We spent our spare time skating, BMXing, rollerblading, and doing plenty of things we probably shouldn’t have. But the real turning point came when we decided to pick up instruments. With Al’s dad being a music teacher, his house was full of them. Al stuck with guitar, Helders took the drums, and I thought, I’ll grab a bass and see what happens. From that point on, we were hooked—teaching ourselves, writing songs, and falling in love with making music together.

Around the same time, another passion found me. My uncle, who worked as a photographer for the Sheffield Star, once took me and my brother into a darkroom to show us how photos were developed. That moment never left me. From then on, I wanted to capture things—not just the polished moments, but the little pieces of life in between.

As the band started to grow, I kept a camera close. I documented everything—the shows, the tours, the laughter, the chaos, and the endless hours of waiting around. Over the years I collected thousands of images, stacking up hard drives full of memories. When I left the band, those drives sat gathering dust, almost forgotten. One day I pulled them back out and looking through those photos was like unlocking a time capsule. The memories came rushing back—the highs, the quiet stretches, the fun, the frustration.

That was when the idea came to create a book. Not the glossy, outside-in view that everyone already knows, but something different. A glimpse from the inside looking out. That’s what this book is: a collection of photographs from 2005 to 2007, taken during my time with the Arctic Monkeys. Images from across the UK, Europe, America, Japan, and everywhere in between. The highs, the lows, and the sitting-around-doing-nothing parts too. Because that’s the real story. And I was there to capture it.

These photos aren’t just about music—they’re about growing up, friendship, and the strange ride we found ourselves on. I hope when you flip through them, you feel a little of what we felt: the excitement, the boredom, the laughter, and the moments in between. It’s life as it really happened.