Arctic Monkeys fans marking the 19th anniversary of the band’s debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’, have been left baffled by what the cover star is doing now.
- READ MORE: 10 nerdy facts about Arctic Monkeys seminal debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’
Chris McClure, whose face was featured smoking on the iconic cover of their 2006 debut album, was recently the subject of resurfaced footage of an Oasis cover Reverend & The Makers performed alongside Milburn and Arctic Monkeys in 2004.
As fans marked the band’s latest anniversary last week (January 23), eagle eyed fans discovered Chris, who is also the brother of Reverend And The Makers’ Jon McClure, was the man behind a spoof TikTok Sunday League football account.
The account sees McClure portray the comedy character Steve Bracknall, an exaggerated version of an amateur football manager in the fake Sunday League team, Royal Oak FC.
@stevebracknall It’s more than football. It’s about belonging to something bigger. Steven Bracknall #bracknall #stevebracknall #fyp #sundayleague #football
♬ original sound – Steve-Bracknall
@stevebracknall Goals have been an issue. If you don’t shoot ya don’t score. Steve #bracknall #stevebracknall #fyp #football
♬ original sound – Steve-Bracknall
“Just found out this bloke is that Sunday league TikTok manager Steve Bracknall lol,” one fan wrote.
Another, who got his album covers mixed up, added: “Everyone only just finding out Steve Bracknall is the bloke on the AM album should be put on fraud watch.”
A third said: “I actually can’t believe that it’s @SteveBracknall on the front of one of the greatest albums of all time.”
Just found out this bloke is that Sunday league TikTok manager Steve Bracknall lol https://t.co/rg6ukoO2Mt
— Sean (@SeanDOlfc) January 19, 2025
Everyone only just finding out Steve Bracknall is the bloke on the AM album should be put on fraud watch
— Cole ▯ (@swfccom) January 19, 2025
I actually can’t believe that it’s @SteveBracknall on the front of one of the greatest albums of all time #arcticmonkeys #stevebracknall pic.twitter.com/OrasMH46ih
— Midge (@djmidge1) January 20, 2025
McClure himself recently took to social media to confirm the character is indeed him adding: “2024 has been most intense year of my life. Loss of my dad being the most difficult. Bringing a baby up. Leaving my job. Having a business that just exploded across the country. All the while pretending to be the assistant manager of a Sunday league football club.”
2024 has been most intense year of my life
Loss of my dad being the most difficult
Bringing a baby up
Leaving my job
Having a business that just exploded across the countryAll the while pretending to be the assistant manager of a Sunday league football club 😂
Love you dad
— Chris McClure (@chrismcclure86) December 31, 2024
To shoot the iconic album cover, the band gave friend McClure £70 for a night out in Liverpool, and took the shot in the early hours at the city’s Korova bar.
“[It was] just me sat on a stool. They gave me more whisky and I threw up half way through. Everything was blurry,” he previously recalled.
“I was pleased but I don’t think I grasped how massive it was going to be. It was only on the day the album was released, in January 2006, I thought, ‘Shit, what have I let myself in for?’”
On the 15th anniversary of the album in 2021, McClure reflected on having his photo used as the artwork and shared a colour photo from the original shoot.
He added: “What a record. Met some great people since… literally through having my photo taken. Pleasure to be associated with it.”
More recently, Jon McClure opened up to NME about his relationship with Alex Turner. McClure and Turner met back in 2001 while on a bus, where McClure had asked Turner if he wanted to join his band. The two would be members of Judan Suki alongside Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders.
Their breakout hit ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor‘ references their friendship, with the lyric “Dancing to electropop like a robot from 1984” referring to McClure’s band 1984.
