Free at Noon Flashback: Arkells rocks, charms and teases the Philly crowd

Arkells | Photo by Liz Waldie | lizwaldie.com

The Canadian band Arkells kicked off today’s Free at Noon double-header, bringing their indie-pop stylings to the buzzing World Café Live crowd.

On the back of their charismatic lead singer, Max Kerman, Arkells ran quickly through an impressive set of larger-than-life indie pop jams. Kerman built a quick rapport with the audience, joking about everything from ripping off John Lennon — they have a song literally titled “John Lennon” — to the Blue Jays beating the Phillies in the World Series over 20 years ago. (NOTE: He did this at a show at MilkBoy earlier this year as well. Evidently Kerman has an axe to grind when it comes to Philly sports. -ed.)

Arkells even got the crowd into the action, having the audience fill in for XPN favorite Kathleen Edwards who sang the refrain on the album version of “Agent Zero.” This song was a perfect example of Arkells’ ability to blend both the emotional side of indie rock with the playful, often adolescent vibe that makes it seem important as well as fun.

Arkells will be playing Milkboy Philly tomorrow alongside Yukon Blonde starting at 8:30 p.m. For more information on the show head over to the XPN Concert Calendar.

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Setlist
Come to Light
11:11
John Lennon
Never Thought That This Would Happen
Agent Zero
Leather Jacket