The fans from a “sleepy government town” – frontman Max Kerman’s words, not mine – didn’t have to wait long to belt out Arkells’ lyrics, because 2022 hit Past Life was next.
The second night of CityFolk Festival was not one to miss if you are an indie rock fan – especially a Canadian one. Thursday showcased some of the best of what the country has to offer with artists such as Shelburne’s Ruby Waters and Hamilton’s Arkells.
Waters showcased her heartfelt songwriting and signature raspy voice on hits like “Quantum Physics”, “Rabbit Hole”, and “Last Cigarette”, with a performance that kicked off around 6 p.m.
The mood then shifted up the rock scale, from indie to southern rock, as the American band Gov’t Mule took the stage just before 7:30 p.m. The band, led by longtime guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes, are touring in support of their new album Peace… Like a River.
Thom Jurek from allmusic.com described the album as a different sound than previous Mule albums, writing “Peace…Like a River is a labyrinthine trek through original songs that nod at the band’s classic rock influences, creating an album that sounds like it was written and recorded during the 1970s”.
Mule gave way to frontliner Arkells, but not before giving praise to the thousands of fans in attendance. “Thanks for being a beautiful crowd” said Haynes, before exiting the stage.
Then, the thousands in attendance flocked to the stage to see what they had come for: six-time Juno award-winning Group of the Year rock band Arkells. The group formed while studying at McMaster University in the mid-2000s and have been dominating radio airwaves in Canada ever since.
The group started off slow, playing an emotional song from their upcoming album Laundry Pile called “Skin”. But the fans from a “sleepy government town” – frontman Max Kerman’s words, not mine – didn’t have to wait long to belt out Arkells’ lyrics, because 2022 hit Past Life was next. Kerman then kicked it up a notch, showing off his impressive voice and range with 2017’s chart-topping Knocking at the Door.
Toronto-born Kerman is truly a performer in every sense of the word. He danced all over the stage, and even into the crowd during Years in the Making. He invited a young fan up to help him sing Oh, the Boss is Coming!, and obliged a sign in the crowd’s request to play Private School.
The boisterous crowd truly came alive during the penultimate song, Leather Jacket, which was released in 2014 but has become a fan and cult favourite since then. The catchy tune has almost 20 million listens on Spotify – more than any other Arkells song. And of course, the rhetorical question, “Who the fuck uses a payphone?” was posed at the end of the song, ending the concert on a high – although the band did return to play an encore in You Can Get It.
