Four piece indie band ‘The Royston Club’ have experienced an extremely impressive breakout year. Whether it be their fantastic debut album being met with hundreds of thousands of streams, or their support slots for indie giants Two Door Cinema Club and The Wombats, the Welsh band seem to have the world at their feet.
Their debut album tour has been nothing but a success, never more so than when playing to a sold out show at the recently opened New Century Hall in Manchester.
First on the bill were ‘Overpass’, who’s infectious indie melodies were quick to get the crowd moving. ‘3AM’ and new single ‘Alright’ are tracks to give a listen if you’re new to the Birmingham outlet— a band with a bright future ahead of them.
When The Royston Club finally took to the stage they were met with cheers from all in attendance. Despite it being one of their biggest gigs to date the four boys seemed to relish the occasion rather than feel the nerves — never more so with opener ‘Blisters’, with the bands performance boasting swagger and confidence.
Guitarist Ben Matthias lead playing was reminiscent of an early Albert Hammond Jr. on ‘Shallow Tragedy’. The bridge of the song is always a highlight on the record or live, with Faithfull and Matthias sharing a microphone and bellowing, “I don’t mean to be so crude”. Its lyrics may be melancholic but that doesn’t stop the crowd bouncing along to the final chorus.
Faithfull grabbed his acoustic guitar for a rendition of the superb ‘Cherophobe’, and his vocal performance made up for the absence of strings. Despite coming close to song of the night, that title was stripped away when ‘I’m A Liar’ came on. A guitar-less Faithfull paraded up and down the stage in a pit of passion, reflecting the energy of the crowd. Punchy bass lines and drum fills expertly filled in the blanks, and Matthias’ lead lines are superb as always — a real song of the year contender.
Fan favourite ‘Mrs Narcissistic’ perhaps received the best reception of the night from the crowd. The infectious riff more than certainly earns them the tagline ‘jingly jangly’ that they’ve been coined with — despite being so young into their career the band seem to already have an exceptional talent for melody making.
Choosing not to have an encore is understandable due to only having one album under their belt but it only left the crowd wanting more. While you could have a desire for slightly more variety in the setlist, that will only come with more albums and experience. With a sold out tour now under their belt, The Royston Club certainly are the real deal; an absolute joy to witness live.
Written by Niall McGreevy