Getting into the O2 Victoria Warehouse was business as usual, bag search, body scan, ticket check then to find the nearest bar; only this time I wish I hadn’t. For a single drink it set me back nearly ten whole Great British pounds, physically hurting my soul and my bank. Do they know we are currently at the height of the cost-of-living crisis.
Sourness over, I made my way through the crowd until I settled on a good space for the night, the right side of the stage. One thing I always look forward to at a concert is the pre gig selected tunes, and the ones blaring from the speakers did not disappoint. As the large crowd sings along to Fontaines D.C. “Favourite” I get the notion that this crowd will be a vibrant one.
Once the Aussie duo took to stage, cheers and chanting exhaled loudly, “Duh duh duh duh Royel Otis” snowballed from a small group of lads to the whole room joining in. Lead vocalist Otis Pavlovic stated how “We have never heard that one before”, Well he jinxed himself because that was all we heard following on from the moment; every break between songs “duh duh duh duh Royel Otis”, I am sure I will be saying it in my sleep.
Breaking into the song “I Hate This Tune” I felt in opposition to the title as I really did enjoy this as the opening song for the ‘Meet me in the Car’ tour. The visuals of this show communicate to the audience by using a neon pink screen that gave commandments and silly little quotes like “Meet me in Manchester” or “This Is a Song About a Friend”. One that got the crowd moving was “Dance with the person Next to you” which made you forget which warehouse you was in, was it the O2 Victoria or was it The Warehouse Project? People who you spent the last hour bumping shoulders with turned into people you were dancing with. Having the ability to turn one big room into a party is one that Royel Otis can excel in, especially as their songs had a bouncy, energetic tone to them.
Moving through the setlist was like a journey through their discography, playing some of their earlier releases like ‘Kool Aid’ and ‘Sofa King’ which was accompanied with the visual quote “Manchester, you’re so f*cking gorgeous’; Well then, thank you very much Royel Otis. Personally, I cannot play an instrument, but watching the love Royel Maddell expresses to his guitar fired an impulse in me to go learn right away. The transition from ‘Bull Breed’ to ‘Fried Rice’ left the whole room, including me, in cheers and whistles as everyone showed awe of this band’s raw talent. Moving through the rest of their music catalogue, playing songs from their first album ‘PRATTS & PAIN’ to their second album ‘Hickey’, which was released during summer this year.
After giving an Irish goodbye to the audience, we stood waiting for the return as we were all aware of what was happening.
Once Royel Otis were bored of pretending that the concert was over without playing their most popular song, all members ran back on stage hitting us with “Shall we have some Oysters Manchester”, There it is, the encore. ‘Oysters in My Pocket’ is one of those songs that even on a gloomy, cold November night, can transport you to summer and having a cheeky one in the beer garden. Until I can live that summer’s day again, Royel Otis will be there to give me that serotonin boost. If you’re after that same boost, then I recommend catching Royel Otis while they are on tour.
