As a new Bristolian, this was my first visit to the harbourside. I was impressed by how convenient it was to access, just a short walk from the centre. The site is very compact it can hold 5000 people comfortably and you can have a good view of the stage even from the edges of the venue.
Luvcat provided the support although I think it would be unfair to make any judgement as the crowd was very lively and celebratory, making it difficult to engage with an act that demands a little more attention. Luvcat is Sophie Morgan from Liverpool and she has just released her debut LP Vicious Delicious, her band were tight and accomplished. I enjoyed the song ‘Silent Killer’ and I see she has recorded with one of my punk heroes John Cooper Clark on ‘He’s My Man’. So I look forward to seeing her again in a different venue.
If I was worried that the audience were too lively for Royel Otis, I needn’t have been. The audience were locked in and singing along to every song, so it was a nice participatory atmosphere, with a lot of happy people.
I first heard of Royel Otis last year on my new music feed. I would hear a new song every few weeks and be mightily impressed, there were different styles, but were always catchy.
Royel Otis formed in 2019 before releasing debut album Pratts and Pain in 2024 and follow up Hickey in 2025. Otis Pavlovic is the singer and Royel Maddell (an anagram of Leroy) is the guitarist, they put me in mind of the Skater Boys in the film High Fidelity.
Their oeuvre is really the pop single, their discography details that they have two LPs and 28 singles which puts even the Buzzcocks to shame! And they do have a lot of single- quality songs that make you want to bounce around. Teenage songs of desire or rejection.
They take their influences and carve out their own path, the Cure-like bass-driven melody of ‘I hate this Tune’, the Slowdive synth-pop of ‘Heading for the Door’. The Vaccines-like anthems of ‘Car’, ‘Moody’ and ‘Sofa King’. The visuals are creative and thoughtful from grainy film from their youth to bold graphics telling us what the songs are about.
They have two cover versions that are very popular. Sophie Ellis-Bexter’s ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and the Cranberies’ ‘Linger’. The latter is very popular with the crowd who use it as an excuse for a massive communal singalong. I was next to a 40 year old bearded bloke who was really channeling his “inner Dolores”.
I think cover versions are an interesting subject. For new bands they act as an oasis of the familiar in a desert of the unknown, they give an indication of who their influences are and what direction they are taking in the future. I did think that they might become a bit of a distraction from their own material which, in my opinion, doesn’t need any help from anyone else.
A young woman, Lucy, was proposed to on-stage, fortunately she said “Yes”. More fortunately Royel Otis didn’t play ‘Moody’ or ‘Who is your Boyfriend now?’ immediately afterwards.
After 90 minutes, they came back for an encore and played their latest single, the Beatle-ish ‘Sweet Hallelujah’ perhaps signalling a new direction. Rain started falling so we made our way home at this point. A very enjoyable evening, I look forward to seeing where Royel Otis will take us next!
Scott Fraser
