BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition March 2019

MUSiC LIVE REVIEWS
Photos: Zee Khan
ARKELLS
Saturday, February 2
Pacific Coliseum
Canadian rock ‘n’ roll
giants Arkells unleashed
their monster Rally Cry
tour across the country
last month. With the
success of their 2017
smash hit, “Knocking at
the Door,” they’ve practically
become a household
name. Playing to a
packed Pacific Coliseum,
they kicked off the night
with the slow burn of “Relentless,”
following it up
with the massive-sounding
“Leather Jacket.”
Arkells know how to work
a crowd, bouncing their
energy off one another
as they play, and running
back and forth across the
stage and down the catwalk.
It’s not easy to play
to an arena and engage
with every member of the
audience, but frontman
Max Kerman pulled it off
with ease.
During latest single
“Hand Me Downs,”
confetti exploded across
the venue as the faithful
crowd sang along to
every word and danced
their hearts out.
With a quick outfit
change before the
encore to a black jacket
with rainbow fringe, Kerman
and the rest of the
band delivered one rowdy
cover of Abba’s “Dancing
Queen,” before closing
the show with “My
Heart’s Always Yours.”
Arkells are at the top of
their game right now and
their live show proved it.
Lindsey Blane
Photo: John Walters
ROBYN
Thursday, February 28
Pacific Coliseum
Swedish disco queen, Robyn, sang softly
offstage. The crowd waited anxiously
until she finally emerged from behind
a sculpture of ivory coloured, pleading
hands, in a robotic silver dress. Her
moves were equally mechanical, dancing
simply and gracefully to the gentle
tempo of the title track from her latest
album, Honey.
As the beats grew faster and heavier,
so too did the pulse of the Pacific
Coliseum. Any and all vulnerabilities
were completely shed as Robyn let the
rhythms take complete control of her
body and colossal voice.
The set focused heavily on Robyn’s
new album, but it was certainly her
smash hit, “Dancing on My Own,” that
received the greatest uproar. Upon
the first chorus, Robyn and her band
completely cut out and let the audience
harmoniously perform the hook — on
their own; the likes of which had Robyn
gushing.
Robyn has completely dissolved any
hindrances of the fabricated pop icon
persona that record companies failed to
mold her into. She is in complete control
of her ascension into the stars and on
this particular evening she took us on a
piece of that vibrant journey.
Jeevin Johal
38 BEATROUTE MARCH 2019