Alex Turner and his bandmates may come off as pricks, but I've never cared. Since their brilliant 2006 debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Arctic Monkeys have been one of my favorite bands and have built quite the global following with its brand of abrasive, witty Brit-punk.

That said, I was bummed to learn the Sheffield, England-based quartet won't even graze the Southeast during their 2009 U.S. tour. A major disappointment. I caught them for the first time at Coachella in '07 and again later that year after a four-hour trek to Atlanta's Tabernacle.

The more intimate set was unbelievable, possibly best of the year for this guy. Perhaps it was too intimate, however, and that's why they're not coming back (the audience paled in comparison to the hordes of sing-along followers at Euro festivals).

Regardless, since this year's a wash, I'll be sneaking peeks today when the band streams a live performance of its new, Josh Homme-produced album, Humbug, online at 4 p.m. EST this afternoon. The record doesn't drop for another month (Aug. 25), so I'm looking forward to an early look at their new stuff.

Given the East Coast timing of the set, it'd only be fitting for Arctic Monkeys to sneak in an old favorite, "The View from the Afternoon," the opener on its first LP.

To check out a preview of the show, click here.