Date of show: February 9, 2012
Shot of choice: They asked to be surprised and were given Jager.
Before the doors even opened, a line was formed to get the last of the limited tickets available at the door. Not surprising, the Arkells played to a packed house at Elements in Kitchener. Starting off with “Michigan Left”, it was evident just how excited the crowd was. The band played a good mix of songs from their 2011 sophomore release, Michigan Left, and their 2008 debut, Jackson Square. On this night, fans were lucky enough to see both Arkells keyboardists on stage – Dan Griffin, founding member, and Anthony Carone, the keyboardist who has joined the band for live shows.
The ever charismatic Max Kerman easily persuades the crowd to participate, made evident by all the fans in the audience who couldn’t stop singing along. However, there is no doubt that all members of the Arkells work to make sure their live show is even better than their already solid recordings. Arkells shows are an experience for both themselves and the audience, filled with surprises and plenty of audience interaction.
The Lana Del Rey “Video Games” intro to “Bloodlines” was a pleasant surprise, but it was their “This Little Light of Mine” interlude to “Deadlines”, with Kerman encouraging the crowd to hold up their cell phones to act as light, that really highlighted the night.
The band closed out their set with “Whistleblower”, but, not letting the crowd wait long, the Arkells came back out quickly to start off their encore with “On Paper” followed by “You Make My Dreams Come True”. The Hall & Oates cover brought out members of The Darcys to join in the fun. Just before “John Lennon”, the last of the 3-song encore, we were able to get on stage to buy the guys shots. As the night came to a close, fans were crowd surfing and the singing and cheering seemed to be never-ending.
Thanks so much for the fantastic night, Arkells.
When The Darcys opened up the night, there was already a crowd gathered right up front. While many were likely getting a good spot for the headliner, the crowd seemed to be fixed on stage for The Darcys. It’s no surprise, as the band put together a sonic performance filled with noisy guitars, mesmerizing beats, melodic piano work and engaging vocals.
As The Darcys have just released their interpretation of Steely Dan’s Aja, the jazzy “Peg” was added to the set alongside “Home At Last”. The two songs are very different, but help exemplify The Darcys’ range. Songs from their self-titled released in October of last year still dominated the set, playing “Edmonton to Purgatory” as their final song.
Considering they’re a band we’ve watched develop since the beginning of the site, it’s great to see The Darcys continue to gain fans alongside bands that garner sold-out crowds. The band will continue touring to make an impression on the rest of Canada, as well as the United States. We recommend you catch them live, but before that you should pick up their albums for free on their website.
buying shots for bands 
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