Monkeys' Bassey cover a "joke"

Arctic Monkeys singer Alex Turner has admitted that the band's cover of 'Diamonds Are Forever' started out as a joke.

The Sheffield lads performed the Shirley Bassey number during their headlining slot at at this year's Glastonbury festival.

Bassey was full of praise for the song when she appeared at the event two days later, saying: "I have to say Arctic Monkeys, that is how it is done. I'd like to thank them for singing 'Diamonds Are Forever'."

But Turner has revealed that the Bond cover was producer James Ford's idea and was never intended to go as far as it did.

He told the Guardian: "It was James Ford's joke that I took too far, I think. I sang it so much better when we were practising. I was so nervous."