“You can expect all sorts of things; it’s just gonna be a great vibe.”
If there is one thing Arkayla are bringing to Truck Festival, it is energy. Ahead of their Saturday performance on the Market Stage, the fast-rising indie band are clearly too excited to stand still. In fact, bassist Joe Harley has spent the journey to the festival doing star jumps in the van, much to his bandmates’ annoyance.
“I’m ecstatic personally,” he laughs. “I’ve been doing star jumps in the van the whole way; it’s been pissing everyone off.”
Judging by their plans for the performance, the star jumps aren’t stopping there.
“A lot of star jumps,” guitarist Finley Rubens jokes. “We’ve all been practising. You can expect all sorts of things; it’s just gonna be a great vibe.”
That boundless enthusiasm reflects what has been a landmark summer for Arkayla. With the band playing more festivals than ever before, this year’s festival season has offered a taste of the scale they have been working towards.
“It’s the best part of the year,” Finley says. “It’s been the best summer of our lives so far, because it’s been the first summer where we’ve played this many festivals, and I speak for everyone when I say it’s been a dream.”
Their love of performing is obvious when discussing their favourite moments onstage. For Joe, there is one particular part of their set that always gets the adrenaline flowing. “I love the breakdown during Run Kid when all the mosh pits start,” he says. “It’s wonderful to see.”
Finley has a slightly different answer, admitting: “Every time I make eye contact with Cal it gets a bit romantic.” For drummer Dylan Murphy, however, the answer is much more wholesome. “Just being onstage with three of my best friends.”
That close friendship is clearly part of what makes Arkayla’s live shows so enjoyable, but their sound is also rooted in the sound of some of Britain’s most influential indie acts.
“The La’s, The Beatles, The Strokes, The Smiths, all sorts of influences in there,” the band explain. Those influences aren’t simply confined to the songs themselves, either. The band are particularly keen to bring the spirit of The La’s into their live performances. “Definitely, particularly The La’s,” Finley says. “I don’t know if we harmonise like The Beatles, but we’re trying.”
After spending the last few years building their reputation on the live circuit, touring has inevitably taught Arkayla a few lessons along the way. “It’s surprising how drunk you can get,” Finley admits. “Don’t forget a speaker,” Dylan adds. And vocalist Cal Blakebrough perhaps sums up the biggest lesson of all: “That I can just about live with these three.”
Their chemistry extends into their pre-show routine, which is a combination of tequila, acoustic guitars and deliberately terrible performances. “A bit of tequila, play a bit of acoustic guitar just so you get all the shit out first,” Finley explains. “A bit like warming up for football, getting the bad shots out first, so we play tunes that go terribly before we go on, and then we go on, and it’s perfect.”
It is a routine that appears to be working, with Arkayla now preparing for another major step in their journey: a European tour. While preparations haven’t quite kicked into full gear yet, the band are using this summer’s packed festival schedule as their own form of training. “It’s not really started yet,” they admit. “Though we’re just getting up to match fitness right now playing at festivals. I reckon we’re about there though.”
“We could go tomorrow, but we’d rather have a couple more months to get things right, you know.”
Before they head across the Channel, though, there are still plenty of opportunities for Arkayla to collaborate with fellow artists on the festival circuit. Asked who they’d most like to work with at Truck, Florence Road are quickly mentioned. “The singer of Florence Road has a really cool voice,” Finley says. “I think that would be a cool collaboration.” Dylan has another suggestion: “We’re good mates with The Royston Club too, so probably them too.”
With the band’s profile continuing to grow, the next 12 months could prove crucial. Yet rather than setting themselves an unrealistic target, Arkayla are keeping their ambitions refreshingly simple. “I would say just play a bigger stage than we did a year earlier, and just keep the fanbase building as well, as it’s just non-stop,” they say.
“And keep making beautiful music.”
For a band who are already enjoying the busiest festival summer of their lives, that combination of progression, friendship and sheer enthusiasm seems to be working. And if Arkayla have their way, there will be plenty more star jumps along the way.
