Free at Noon Flashback: The Arkells forget the rain for a love of life

The Arkells | photo by Tiana Timmerberg for WXPN

It not always easy to ignore the rain in our lives, even when it’s pouring outside. The Arkells, however, were able to do exactly that, performing selections from their newest record Morning Report, culminating in a pop rock extravaganza that kept spirits high and negativity an afterthought.

As soon as the Canadian five-piece stormed on the World Cafe stage, I knew we were in for an uplifting afternoon. Kicking off with the soul-filling “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete)”, the band confidently declared “When the rain starts coming down / A little rain ain’t bringing me down.” On a day some Americans have been dreading, lead singer Max Kerman melodically portrayed hope, and to just keep trudging on. He continued to keep things lighthearted through personal antidotes of wise old Jewish men, a hormone-fueled evening at Firefly, and a top-down summer evening in Georgia, all complementing how personal music can be at times be used to tell a story that relates to us all.

Distributed throughout, keyboardist Anthony Carone kept his board light and playful, as did the dancing concertgoers, determined to have a little more fun before turning back to reality. Although songs like “Hung Up” brought out some ill-advised feelings (Kerman screaming “Who made you the president?” let out a little steam), the reality of today had to (and thankfully was) drowned out by the every bonding power of music. And just as we thought it was over, the band popped on back to perform the always fun Hall and Oats’ classic “You Make My Dreams Come True,” instilling in everyone a sense of optimism that we should carry with us for the rest of our lives.

If you missed this wonderful set, be sure to catch The Arkells tonight at The Filmore playing alongside the always wonderful Frank Turner. Tickets / more information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.