Two thousand revellers rocked the night away to the tunes of Newfoundland rootsters Great Big Sea in February 1997 at a converted factory/warehouse in Toronto. Tonight it’ll be much more “up close and personal” when these raucous Newfies bring their good-time Anglo-Celtic “folk ‘n’ roll” to Arlington. There’ll be plenty of lively accordion-led dance tunes as well as traditional ballads and the lads’ nifty re-workings of such contemporary items as R.E.M.’s “The End of the World” and Oysterband’s “When I’m Up,” both of which appear on Great Big Sea’s major-label debut Rant & Roar (Sire). The ranting and roaring begin at 9:30 p.m. at Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $7.50. (703) 522-8340. (Ken Roseman)