In a world so focused on the mainstream, the unconventional is a rare and beautiful thing. Australian indie rock duo Royel Otis is unconventional in the best way, merging nonsensical lyrics and addictive guitar licks into music that is wildly fun and entirely one of a kind. Their show at The Eastern on Sept. 30 was a phenomenal homage to their discography, delivered to the frenzied, sold-out crowd gathered at the venue.
Royel Otis’ name comes from those of the fronting duo, Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic. The two have made music together for the last five years with their first single “Only One” coming out in 2021 and their debut album “Pratts & Pain” being released this last February to great critical acclaim. Since the release of their album, their amount of monthly listeners on Spotify has doubled, reaching over 9.2 million in the last month.
In conjunction with Australian radio station triple j, the duo released a cover of “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor this past January and followed soon after with a cover of the Cranberries’ “Linger” with SiriusXM. Both releases took rounds on TikTok and were met with awestruck stupor at Pavlovic’s enchanting vocals, subsequently introducing thousands of new fans to the gold mine that is their discography.
After the raging success of their first North American tour this past spring, Royel Otis announced a fall tour to make stops all over the U.S. Having already been to Atlanta in May for Shaky Knees Music Festival, the band had established a powerful fan base within the city’s indie music scene. These devoted fans caused the band to upgrade the Atlanta venue from 1100-capacity Variety Playhouse to The Eastern (2200-capacity) almost immediately. Even after the upgrade, the venue sold out, and Royel Otis’ loyal followers packed into The Eastern prepared for a rocking show.
The concert’s opener was changed last minute from Chicago indie rock band Friko to Atlanta’s own Improvement Movement after the band’s tire blew out on the way to the venue. Nevertheless, Improvement Movement brought the energy that the crowd needed as they impatiently waited for Royel Otis. They delivered gorgeous vocals and acoustic singalongs, often breaking out into harmonies with each other and eliciting copious whoops and cheers from the audience.
After Improvement Movement left the stage, the crowd’s restlessness grew exponentially, reaching its peak when the venue plunged into darkness and the curtains finally drew back. After a long anticipatory intro, Royel Otis took to the stage and were met with hundreds of voices yelling out their praises and excitements.
They leapt into “Heading for the Door” off of their newest album, a groovy rock tune that begs its subject to stay after a fight. Although the track’s studio version is somewhat mellow and calming, the live version was unrestrained and passionate, fueled by the audience’s enthusiasm to see the band performing in front of them.
Behind the band was a massive prawn that debuted in their “Oysters in My Pocket” music video, and it now follows them around on tour. It adds a silly bit of humor to their stage set up and proved to be a fan-favorite among the crowd.
An unexpected addition to the setlist was “Pratts & Pain” closer “Big Ciggie.” It stands in stark sonic difference from the rest of their music, but it is truly an underrated gem in the expanse of their discography. The most cathartic moment of the show was the crowd uniting to sing the track’s chorus, “They’ve said it before, and they’ll say it again / She died thinking too much of ya!”
“Claw Foot” was another fantastic part of the night, as the song’s wordless refrain allowed the audience to croon along with Pavlovic and dance away their worries. The track was released just recently in May as a bonus track to their debut album since it did not make the initial release. However, the song has quickly become one of their best, only further validated by its dynamic live performance.
The band has a knack for taking inside jokes and quirky ideas and turning them into masterpieces of the indie genre. In particular, their 2023 EP is littered with these phenomenal pieces from the cheekily-named “Sofa King” to the danceable “Going Kokomo.” These songs have rightfully taken their place as some of the band’s most well-known, with 32 million and 14 million streams respectively on Spotify.
Royel Otis played an unreleased track titled “If Our Love Is Dead,” a distinctly entertaining song that is driven by a pounding guitar riff from its onset. Its repetitive chorus made it easy to sing along to even without hearing it before. Two days after the Atlanta show, they released the song on all streaming platforms to the joyous surprise of the song’s fans.
The duo’s biggest song “Oysters in My Pocket” closed out their set on a high note, but the rowdy audience did not allow them to leave for too long before returning on stage for an encore. The two performed “Linger” in a beautiful show of vocals, and they followed it with the energetic “Kool Aid” to finish.
Royel Otis is undoubtedly making their mark on the music industry, exchanging the mainstream for their own quirky concoction of whimsical storytelling and immaculate production. Through their live shows in particular, the duo is already establishing themselves as legends in the alternative scene, sure to continue their world domination in the years to come.