We think we’ve found our People’s Champs
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: in another life, Frank Turner would’ve made one hell of an A&R man.
We’ve been to see Frank a few times, and each time we’ve been he’s managed to bring a couple of absolutely stellar support acts along with him for the ride. That’s how we got into Will Varley; we went to a Frank Turner show, arrived early, and were promptly won over by Mr. Varley‘s wit, humour, and undeniable talent. The same goes for Beans On Toast and Flogging Molly, too; we arrived, we saw them, and we pretty much instantly fell in love.
With that in mind, then, it’s no small statement for us to proclaim that Arkells might just be the best support act we’ve ever seen at a Frank Turner show.
Seriously, these guys were pretty damn good
if you ask us, there are two things that you want from a support act: you want them to sound good, and you want them to have some good tracks. Fortunately, Arkells ticked both of these boxes within about a minute of coming on stage. Their half-hour set may have been short, but by God was it sweet: after kicking off with Knocking at the Door, they rattled swiftly through Private School and Fake Money before nearly causing One on One to lose its voice before the night had even begun with a roaringly glorious run-through of set highlight – and their best track – People’s Champ.
We think that the real reason we liked them so much, though, is that they’re the one thing that nobody could possibly fail to be completely and utterly charmed by. Make no bones about it, dear reader: Arkells are a good-time band. Sure, their songs have meaning – for instance, only a fool could deny that People’s Champ is about a certain breed of good-for-nothing politician that One on One HQ is far too diplomatic to mention by name – but above all else, they’re solid, catchy, and upbeat indie-pop songs. We don’t know about you, but we just don’t think that there are quite enough of those in the world right now.
You’ll definitely not regret going to see them
So, the next time that the Arkells machine rolls into your town, make sure you pick up a ticket. We don’t know what you’ll think, and we have no way of knowing where your night will head after the curtain falls: but, the one thing we can guarantee is that you’ll have a flippin’ great time.