26th September 2026
To start with, I’ll admit that before the offer to see Arkayla came in, I wasn’t overly familar with their work so I spent the week leading up to their sold out headline gig at the 02 Ritz in Manchester listening solely to them, and somwhere along the way in some magical turn of events, I’ve completely fallen in love with
them!!
Of course pre-gig there was a little apprehension from me that the live performances wouldn’t live up to the studio recordings, and naturally it wasn’t as sharp and perfect, but in the best possible way as it was a million times better than listening to any album could ever be!
The crowd and the comradery amongst fans added to the excitement and really added to the atmosphere.
Admittedly at times I thought the sound came across a bit muffled, and I felt it could do with less bass and more treble to make it more really sharp, but that’s only one small observation from an otherwise totally brilliant concert!!
The electric vibe was completely infectious and somehow I found myself jumping and dancing and singing along (i’m normally too introverted to do this especially when i’m by myself!) which I hope
is quite the accolade it’s intended to be and a tribute to how wonderful this band are.
Arkayla were so grounded and humbled as performers seeming so grateful to be there performing for us all, when really it should be us who are grateful for being graced with their music! It’s always so heartwarming to see a band who are really amazing at what they do, but remaining with their feet firmly rooted on the ground not forgetting where they’ve come from and the fans that got them there.
It was a poignent gig for the band being a sold out headline hometown show at 02’s Ritz’s 1,000 cap venue. It felt like an intimate venue for the band and I’m sure given tonight’s peformance, that there won’t be many more of this nature as they are sure to be headlining stadiums before we know it!
Until then, fans will be able to catch Arkayla again next year when they support Two Door Cinema club on tour.
The band were supported on the night by Cherry Holt – another band I will be sure to be adding into my regular listening rota.
There really is nothing like disovering your next new favoutire band and tonight Arkayla really cemented it for me.
Arkayla’s debut EP ‘Back to Belle Vue’ is out now.
A five star gig from start to finish!
Review and all photography by Theo Clempson for The Songbird HQ