Arkells: No Dirty Laundry Just Clean Fun

Having just released their latest EP, Laundry Pile, Arkells embarked on their At Your Service US tour this fall. Claiming that, “no two shows will be the same”, their set changes night after night, ensuring that fans will be delighted by their energy and smiles from the stage.

I always hate to see venues not at full capacity, but for shows like what Arkells put on, it gives much more room for fans to dance. And dance they did, all night long. Lead singer Max Kerman, was moving and dancing from the first notes, and worked up a sweat before the chorus of the first song. They band had a high energy, flashing light show and a long set, giving fans plenty to dance to. It had been four long years since they had last played in Seattle, and their first time at The Neptune on a Sunday night.

As for mixing up their set, on this stop they brought out Maya Cohon (avid chamber & orchestral musician) to play along with them during “Quitting You”. Having her play allowed them to perform an extended version of the song, to fans’ delight. Arkells also paused to call out someone in the crowd who brought a holiday light up sign that requested (although it’s 71 days till Christmas, they didn’t want to wait that long) to hear their holiday tune, “Pub Crawl“. Obviously, the band obliged and sang the first few verses, (because it was just too early to play the entire song). Their set is also different each night because mid-way through, they bring out a laundry basket full of t-shirts with their latest songs from their Laundry Pile EP. One lucky fan gets to pull a shirt out, and that is the song the band plays. For this show, “Quiet Love” (the final track on the EP) was pulled. Singing along, dancing along, and getting in the groove was what the band desired from the crowd, and fans obliged with cheers and shouts throughout the whole night.