(Hannover, Germany) – Every now and then life throws someone a little nugget just to remind them that it’s not all bad. Tonight, for the first time in a long time, it was my turn.
The Arkanes, a four-piece rock outfit hailing from Liverpool, England, describe themselves as “four working-class lads who share three common fidelities: a love for good music, a hatred for bad music, and a passion to stand up in front of a crowd and show the world what they can do”.
Tonight, they were opening for The Rifles at the Mephisto Faust in Hannover, Germany, which I suspect may be one of the smaller venues either band will play on this tour. Even I was surprised at how little space there was on the stage. On the plus side, it doesn’t take a huge audience to create a good atmosphere.
From the opening bars of ‘Nuclear’ The Arkanes had the crowds attention. Blasting their way through ‘Terracotta’ ‘Guilt Trip’ and ‘Stand Alone’, (all tracks from the current album W.A.R) the audience lapped them up. Unfortunately, as tonight was a support slot, it was over all too soon. However, as all the great bands do, the best was saved to last. ‘Command’…… which is obviously a Zeppelin/Kasbian inspired number with great guitar, great beat, great lyrics. This finale petered out before coming back with a vengeance of outstanding guitar play and sheer showmanship.
Great guitar riffs, thumping bass lines and drum beats, complimented by front man Chris Pates’ classic rock voice (part Ian Gillan, part Jimmy Page). These guys are the real deal. It has been a long time since a band restored my faith in music and got me this excited. Tonight, quite literally, I bought the T-shirt, got the CD……..
Standout tracks: Terracotta, Sharpshooter, Command
The Arkanes are:
Chris Pate – Vocals/Guitar
Dylan Cassin – Guitar/Vocals
Jake Hallam – Bass/Vocals
Andy Longy – Drums
To learn more about The Arkanes visit them at http://thearkanes.co.uk/
