Arkayla is a band that knows exactly what they’re worth and isn’t asking permission to prove it. Waste of Time, lifted from their upcoming EP Don’t Look For Answers (October 10th), burns with the kind of urgency that’s rapidly making this Mancunian quartet impossible to ignore
Nostalgia runs in their veins, but Arkayla aren’t stuck in retro cosplay. For the band, the track is more than a single — it’s a landmark:
Waste of Time means a lot to us cause it was the very first tune we wrote with this line-up. We’d just got a new drummer in for the Isle of Wight Festival and honestly had no idea how it was gonna go. In the first rehearsal, we ended up writing Waste of Time in like 20 minutes. It just fell out of us. The song’s about people being late and getting stood up, but we like to say we really wrote it about each other. It feels like Nirvana tried to cover the Pixies but ended up sounding like Weezer (in the best way possible).
Since 2023, Arkayla’s chaotic, sweat-soaked live shows have earned early backing from BBC Radio 6, Radio X, and XS Manchester. Last year’s Ella Malone tripled their following to 13k, and they’ve already shared stages with Seb Lowe, The Lathums, and soon The Royston Club.
This winter, Arkayla headline the 900-cap Manchester Academy — a DIY flex that proves they’re not here to live in Manchester’s shadow, but to cast their own.
Born from school hallways, college practice rooms, and perfect timing, Arkayla are four distinct forces unified by one obsession: creating guitar music that cuts through the noise and demands to be heard right now. Pure chemistry set to crushing riffs, proving that sometimes the best bands happen when fate decides to interfere.
LIVE DATES:
19th September 2025 – THE PARISH, WREXHAM
20th September 2025 – CAFE INDIEPENDENT, SCUNTHORPE
2nd October – The Lower Third, BBC Introducing
10th October 2025 – SUPPORTING THE SHERLOCKS ALBERT HALL, MANCHESTER
11th October 2025 – TENEMENT TRAIL FESTIVAL, GLASGOW
THE ROYSTON CLUB SUPPORT
23rd October 2025 – MANCHESTER ACADEMY
24th October 2025 – O2 CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE
25th October 2025- BARROWLANDS, GLASGOW
15th November 2025 – LIVE AT LEEDS FESTIVAL
12th December 2025 – X FEST, STOCKTON ON TEES
19th December 2025 – MANCHESTER ACADEMY – HEADLINE SHOW