Alex Turner honors Arctic Monkeys’ manager in unforgettable surprise appearance at 2025 Music Week Awards

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner made an unannounced appearance at the 2025 Music Week Awards, stepping onstage to pay tribute to the man behind the band's rise, manager Ian McAndrew.

The event, which was held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on May 8, saw McAndrew receive the prestigious Strat Award, a career-defining recognition for the trailblazers in the music industry.

The honor celebrated his decades of legacy of championing artists, from acid-jazz icons The Brand New Heavies to chart-toppers like Craig David, Travis, and of course, the Monkeys themselves.

Adding a touch of rockstar mystique to the night, Turner stepped onstage and sent the crowd into delighted applause as he introduced McAndrew with his signature effortless charm.

“Good evening. Put your hands together for your 2025 Music Week Strat Award winner, the one and only, Mr Ian McAndrew.”

Evidently moved, McAndrew responded with gratitude and surprise:

“It was a complete surprise, I had absolutely no idea that you were here. I thought you were at a place across the channel.”

The veteran manager used his acceptance speech to reflect on the beginning of his career and the influential figures who shaped his journey. He cited The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein and Charisma Records founder Tony Stratton Smith as some of his major inspirations.

“My journey in music management started here, at the Grosvenor House Hotel. It was 1989 and I was 22 years old, and I was invited to attend the Ivor Novello Awards.”

He went on:

“George Michael, Dire Straits, the Bee Gees, Paul McCartney, they were all here being honoured. But also here, wafting around the room like modern-day emperors, were the moguls, the hitmakers. This was the music business. I was curious, I was fascinated and I was inspired.”

McAndrew continued with heartfelt reflection on his decades in the music industry:

“Standing here 35 years later, I still feel curious, I still feel fascinated and I’m still inspired. But I’m also grateful. I’m grateful to those songwriters and artists who place their trust in us. It’s a huge privilege to serve and represent them.”

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Luke Pritchard reflects on The Kooks' clash with Arctic Monkeys: “Crazy times, man”

Alex Turner’s surprise appearance at this year’s Music Week Awards came just weeks after The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard set the record straight on the infamous noughties clash between the two bands.

In an interview with Daily Mail in April, Pritchard spoke about the time he kicked Turner in the face during an onstage mishap, but said that there's no lingering bad blood now.

The frontman chalked it all up to youthful chaos and timing as both Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks dropped their debut albums on the exact same day in January 2006.

“There was the ‘kick in the head’… but again, it was all fun. It was crazy times, man.”

Despite earlier tension, like Turner allegedly yanking leads from Pritchard’s guitar pedals mid-show, the Naive singer insisted there was never any real rivalry.

READ ALSO: What happened between Alex Turner and Luke Pritchard? The Kooks member recalls feud with the Arctic Monkeys frontman

“From our point of view, it just happened that our albums came out the same day… I respect them, and I think they respect us.”

In fact, Pritchard has nothing but praise for the Do I Wanna Know rockers, calling the Monkeys “a great example” of evolution done right.