“We only just made it through customs like, 30 minutes ago,” Arkells front man Max Kerman told a packed room from the stage at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY. The response — consistent through the entire set — was overwhelming.

It's July 25, and Arkells had just begun their first American tour with the gig in Buffalo — a gig they barely made, having been held up at the Canada-U.S.A. border for a few hours.

On top of everything else, the trip began with a breakdown on the highway on the way to the border; after a wheel came off of their trailer, they had to wait for roadside assistance in order to get moving again. “Good thing we took shop class in high school...” they wrote on Twitter.

Though it's no secret there is a certain camaraderie amongst musicians, there was certainly an excellent example that night as the remaining bands moved around their set times in order to accommodate Arkells' late arrival.

“We called [Tokyo Police Club] and said, ‘Guys, we're stuck at the border. I don't think we're going to make it,'” Kerman recalled. “And then Graham (Wright, keyboards) said, ‘You guys are playing, we're going to do whatever it takes.'”

Seemingly renewed in energy and passionate about the opportunity to play despite setbacks, Arkells brought the house down with a powerful performance.

If their performance is indicative of anything, it's that Fanshawe is in for an explosive night when they come to play during orientation week on Wednesday, September 8 in the SUB Courtyard.

Arkells burst out of the Hamilton scene in 2008 with their debut, Jackson Square, on the strength of the singles “Oh, The Boss Is Coming!” and “The Ballad Of Hugo Chavez.” Despite the fact the scene itself hadn't quite made an impact on the collective music conscience at the time, it was just waiting to happen, said Kerman.

“Hamilton has a long reputation of great music, and lately I think it's been particularly strong,” he said. “Young Rivals are a great band from Hamilton and Huron, and Sandman Viper Command who are from Burlington … they all share this knack for strong songwriting and a great live show, real hardworking bands.

“And when it comes down to it, if the music's good, people are going to want to find it. And Hamilton lately has really just been that much better.”

Though it can be easily argued that Arkells have had a lot to do with the attention cast on the scene in Hamilton — taking to point Kerman's tendency to advertise other Hamilton bands and records in interview — the band is far too modest to allow that type of credit to be placed upon them.

“A lot of times, it's just a matter of the opportunities that you get, so we don't take any of this stuff for granted,” Kerman smiled. “We're still not far-removed from the days when we were always playing to 30 people … any time there's half a full room, we're happy, and if there's less than that, we're going to try to win them over anyway.”

Prepare to be won over, Fanshawe. Tickets to see Arkells with Sweet Thing and San Sebastian on September 8 are included in orientation kits, available at the Biz Booth starting on September 7 for $8 or at the door for $12.

For more on the concert, see the event page on the Fanshawe Student Union site at fsu.ca. For more on Arkells, visit their site at Arkells.ca.