Entertainment

Monkeys see & do rock

Arctic Monkeys brought a relaxed cool to the sold-out season opener of the SummerStage series in Central Park on Tuesday.

Under a clear sky, the stage was set for the quartet from Sheffield, England, with some scattered amps and a dozen stage lights on stands. No smoke — or mirrors. Just good rock music.

Alex Turner was in the center with his leather jacket, mop of brown hair and low-slung electric guitar.

He and his bandmates gave the crowd — in shorts and sundresses — what they wanted, starting with the opener, “Library Pictures,” an anthemic rocker from the band’s new album, “Suck It and See,” out next month. The Monkeys were impressive, easily mixing violently shaky rhythms with leisurely melodies, as well as bass lines suited for metal with intricate guitar riffs and fat chords.

With his clear baritone in “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair,” Turner channeled The Doors’ Jim Morrison, testing fate as he sang: “Break a mirror, roll the dice, run with scissors . . . ”

But where Arctic Monkeys were at their best was with the slice-of-night-life story songs such as their international hit “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” That was the night’s crowd-pleaser, churning the field in front of the stage into a controlled riot.

Turner and company really let loose on the punk-powered “Still Take You Home,” a number about lusting for a girl of limited intelligence and boundless beauty.

While Turner expresses emotion in his lyrics and singing, he’s a bit of a shoe-gazer when he’s not singing. Other than a comment on the night’s rising moon, he only had the perfunctory “How ya doing?” In a way, it’s a relief that there is still a rock musician who seems as socially awkward as the characters who inhabit his songs.