Vancouver’s Penthouse nightclub can get pretty hot and steamy on a typical night, but not like it was Thursday (May 7).
Music fans filled the famous strip joint for a small-venue concert by Arkells, Canadian pop-rock hit-makers who can fill big arenas and festival grounds across the country.
The Penthouse gig was first of three in Vancouver for the band on a “city takeover” tour celebrating their new Between Us album, with additional concerts at Kitsilano’s Hollywood Theatre (Friday) and fabulous Commodore Ballroom (Saturday).
“Arkells tonight (fully clothed),” promised the famous Penthouse sign outside.
It was a most appropriate venue.
“Almost 18 years ago to the day, we played our first ever show in Vancouver” at the Seymour Street club, singer Max Kerman told a crowd of 250 cheering fans.
“We were driving from Calgary, it was a Friday, and we hit Vancouver traffic coming into the city,” he recalled. “We were supposed to be on stage at 7 o’clock, we got to the venue at 7:02. Mike (DeAngelis, guitarist) was parking the car, we had a Dodge Caravan and a U-Haul trailer. We threw our stuff on the stage, plugged in our instruments and by around 7:13 we were performing.
“It was supposed to be a 25-minute set and we had 12 minutes,” he continued. “Launching into the first song I remember looking up and there were only eight people in the room. In front of me, between the people and me, was this very strip pole.”
The first half of Thursday’s concert showcased all songs from Between Us, followed by a quick break and then some of Arkells’ biggest hits including People’s Champ and Leather Jacket.
Scenes of @arkellsmusic at the legendary Penthouse strip club, where the band played its first Vancouver gig 18 years ago. Quite a journey since then.
@livenationwest #Vancouver #concerts pic.twitter.com/gOwK34r23Z
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) May 8, 2026
Kerman and company are known for high-energy, fan-involving shows, and the Penthouse date was no different. The charismatic singer jumped from the stage to walk through the crowd as fans grabbed their phones to record up-close-and-personal moments of a memorable night.
Arkells songs aren’t super complicated, they just feel good, somehow empowering. Dance if you will, sing along in the chorus. It’s about connection between fans and a good, solid band from Hamilton.
The Arkells core (Kerman, DeAngelis, bassist Nick Dika, drummer Tim Oxford, keyboardist Anthony Carone) is sometimes augmented by a horn section for bigger shows (like at Delta’s Barnside festival last summer), but additional musicians weren’t a fit for the tiny Penthouse stage.
On July 7, Arkells return to headline FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE’s new amphitheatre. That should be a party, too.
Beyond Vancouver, the quintet’s current “city takeover” tour continues with three dates each in Edmonton and Calgary from May 14 to 21.
“We haven’t played some of these venues in over a decade,” Kerman said when the tour was announced. “Others we’ve never stepped foot in, but we know how much they mean to the music community.
“Playing multiple nights in each city lets us do something that feels deeply important right now: introduce new music, stretch out across our entire catalogue, and create a different experience each night. And yes — every sing-along you’ve been waiting for. With three nights, everybody gets cake — and we’re eating all of it.”