Arkells hit London’s Canada Life Place this past Saturday October 26 and thrilled with what is best described as a high-energy alt-rock musical extravaganza. Opening for them on this tour is LA chillwave pop band Poolside.
Poolside delivered a very chill and groovy sound that put the crowd in a very easy-going, happy mood from the start. The vibe was kind of modern yacht rock and very soothing to listen to. Their cover of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon was a nice tribute to “their favorite Canadian. I thoroughly enjoyed them and from the look of the swaying crowd, they did too.
Hamilton’s Arkells have been around for almost two decades now and have a very strong and loyal following and I can see why. The band is high energy and frontman Max Kerman is very charismatic and lively on stage. Their touring horn section adds a lot of pizzaz and in parts of the performance march around Kerman while they play. The effect is, nobody sits during an Arkells show, everyone is out of their seats and dancing to the music.
One of the cool features at their shows is a payphone on the floor in front of the soundboard at which fans may call in requests. Kerwin and guitarist Mike DeAngelis made their way to the payphone to perform an acoustic version of the song Only for a Moment in the crowd.
Another memorable moment occurred when the band grouped around keyboardist Anthony Carone while he performed a keyboard solo. There’s a great feeling of community between the band and it’s fans. The band actually makes a point of checking with security after every show to find out if there were any disturbances requiring someone to be ejected and there are surprisingly few.
It’s great to see a show with such positive energy that leaves fans with a smile on their faces. The last song of the main set is a cover of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me and there is not a single person in the crowd not singing along.
This was my first Arkells show but I suspect it will not be my last. A very uplifting evening and something we need a lot more of.
Arkells
Come to Light
You Can Get It
People’s Champ
Relentless
11:11
Kiss Cam
(Acoustic, Audience Request)
Quitting You
Skin
Hand Me Downs
And Then Some
Past Life
Only for a Moment
(Request from phone booth near back of arena floor and performed in the crowd)
Michigan Left
Oh, the Boss Is Coming!
Ballad of Hugo Chavez
9 to 5
(Dolly Parton cover)
Whistleblower
Dance With You
Years in the Making
Knocking at the Door
Encore:
Good Luck, Babe!
(Chappell Roan cover)
My Heart’s Always Yours
Leather Jacket
Stand by Me
(Ben E. King song)
Poolside
Ride With You
Leila
(Miami Horror cover)
Shakedown Street
(Grateful Dead cover)
Don’t Let Me Down
Feel Alright
Around the Sun
Can’t Stop Your Lovin’
Harvest Moon
(Neil Young cover)
Feel Your Weight
(Rhye cover)
Photo’s by Dan Boshart
Arkells
Poolside
