Following the April 17 release of their 11th full-length studio album, Between Us, Arkells embarked on their most recent tour of the same name. The Canadian band, from Hamilton, Ontario, played 3 nights in Toronto – in a throwback to their 20-year history and roots in this city, they played shows at 3 progressively larger venues – Lee’s Palace, History, and finally, RBC Amphitheater. There is something so fulfilling about being able to see a band (maybe even a local band) that is capable of selling out 20,000 capacity venues, play a show at a (in this case) 2,500 capacity venue. It guarantees that the energy of the crowd will be out of this world.
The energetic rock band was preceded by Cailin Russo. Opening the show, Cailin is a singer-songwriter from the US. Known mostly for her work with Kanye West’s song “Hurricane”, which added a Juno nomination to her catalog. If you’ve watched Heated Rivalry, her song “Bad Things” is featured in the finale. Backed by her guitarist/keyboardist and drummer, the three-piece played a great half-hour set to get the crowd ready for the main event.
Arkells took to the stage with the roar of the local crowd. The opening act of the show was a full playthrough of their most recent album, Between Us. The 11-song album is a wonderful combination of their past and present feel, with a look to the future. Frontman Max is extremely well known for characteristically jumping into the crowd and singing as he walks through his fans, getting them to join in the dancing/energy of the music. By the third song of the set, “Ride”, he was already jumping the barricade to join the people. It really adds to the energy of their sets, and he’s not the only one – their brass section has also been known to join him out there! Count on it if you’re heading to an Arkells show. After the full ride through the newest album, Arkells played a second set of 11 songs, with their full touring brass section (trombone, trumpet, and saxophones). The second set was made up of fan favorites, including “Leather Jacked”, “11:11”, and my favorite, “Knocking at the Door.” The 25-song set list was concluded with a 3-song encore that included the Icona Pop cover of “I Love It”, featuring Cailin Russo.
Arkells are: Max Kerman (Vocals, Guitar), Mike DeAngelis (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Nick Dika (Bass, Keyboards), Tim Oxford (Drums), Anthony Carone (Keyboards, Guitar, etc.); and a touring host of brass (Tom Moffett, Ernesto Barahona, Dennis Passley, and Yvonne Moir).
After the conclusion of this 3-day stint in Toronto, Arkells head off to continue this tour, stopping in several additional Canadian cities, along with a collection of US cities and the UK in early fall.
Having had the pleasure of seeing Arkells perform 5 times, I will always suggest you see this band live if you have the opportunity.
Full Album available here: https://www.heartofthepit.com/photo-albums