Arkells makes waves at Western

Performance: 5/5
Opener: 3.5/5
Crowd: 4/5
Setlist: 5/5
Worth the money: 5/5

After standing in line for over an hour, fans enjoyed a performance by the Arkells that was well worth the wait.

On Friday night, the Hamilton band rolled into London to rock for their first Western performance at the Wave. The restaurant was transformed into a club suitable for dancing along to the music, including songs from the opening band, Two Crown King. As soon as the local band took the stage, they had the crowd cheering and pumped up for the rest of the night.

The Arkells’ lead singer, Max Kerman, even snuck a peek of Two Crown King in action. At the end of the punk-rock-rap group’s set, they thanked local fans for all of the support.

As soon as Two Crown King left the stage, the crowd’s enthusiasm built and people squeezed their way up to the front. There was a brief intermission and then, with drinks in hand, the Arkells casually walked out from backstage.

After some quick hellos, Kerman and his band started into their first song “Tragic Flaw.” During the performance, Kerman’s vocal were drowned out by the cheering fans. From there, the Arkells smoothly transitioned from their opening hit to perhaps their most well-known song “The Ballad of Hugo Chavez.” Guitarist Mike DeAngelis began rocking out and even crashed into band mate Tim Oxford’s drum set.

Following a few upbeat tunes, the band decided to switch it up by playing the slow song “I’m Not the Sun.” The Arkells played most songs off of their debut album, Jackson Square, but also squeezed in some new ones. Kerman was even shocked to see fans who knew all of the lyrics to their most recent songs “Whistleblower” and “Kiss Cam.”

Perhaps the most entertaining part of the night was the band’s chemistry. Even though the members are not related, there was a brotherly love between all six of them. It was not uncommon to see Kerman hugging DeAngelis and pinching keyboardist, Dan Griffin’s butt.

Griffin, who has returned to school, has recently been absent from the Arkells’ line-up. It was a pleasant surprise to see him walk out on stage, pick up a guitar and begin rocking out.

The Arkells also displayed love for the audience multiple times throughout the night. After the band returned for an encore, Kerman took a couple of sips of beer and passed the rest of the bottle to a fan.

The Arkells ended the night with “Oh, The Boss Is Coming!” leaving fans wanting more soulful rock. Kerman started the set with a huge smile and ended it with an even bigger one. It was obvious the band enjoyed performing for Western fans.

Currently, The Arkells are on a Canadian tour to promote their new album, Michigan Left, which is set to be released today.