Royel Otis in Milan, the revelation band that shines with “coolness”

If a few months ago they were considered the great new promise of the international indie-rock scene, Royel Otis arrive on the evening of December 3rd al Fabrique of Milan already with the stature of phenomenon. After last year’s sold out live at Santeria Toscana, the Australian duo composed of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic appears in the Milanese club in via Fantoli with the second album “Hickey”, received enthusiastically by both the public and critics. On their side, the two musicians also have numbers, with over ten million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than four million views for the official video clip of the single “Who’s your boyfriend”, and constant growth that crosses continents and platforms. Royelbetween guitar, bass and synthesizers, together with Otisvoice and guitar, and accompanied on stage by Tim Ayre to keyboards and Tim Commander on drums, they fill the Fabrique in their only Italian date, also supported by their previous work “Pratts & pain”, the album that pushed them to the center of the global indie-rock scene.

The post-punk singer-songwriter from Piedmont will open the evening Valerio Viscontiborn in 2000, who takes the stage simply as Visconti and introduces the audience to a tense and personal atmosphere. When “Gotta get up” by Harry Nilsson comes from the speakers, it is the signal that the start of the show is near, while the queue at the entrance and the movement at the bar continue to flow beyond the scheduled time. Then comes the roar on the notes of “I hate this tune”, from the latest album, to welcome thegroup entry and kick off the evening. The audience includes that group of young people ranging from university to forty years old, and also those who recognize themselves in that momentum, carried away by the sounds of pieces like “Heading for the door”.

“It’s good to be back”, is Otis’ initial greeting, in one of the few brief pleasantries of the evening. Each writing, strictly minimal and pink on a black background, together with each image projected on the central screen at the back of the stage offers “instagrammable” shots, either for a hypothetical Tumblr – if only someone still used it – or for any other platform populated by Gen Z, always assuming that they frequent social media, considering how often we now read studies on the new trend of not being present online. Perhaps this is also why a band like Royel Otis has come to have the large following today, for which the music played is still important and lifting your phone in the air to take videos is no longer “cool.” The concert is therefore experienced live, while the group concentrates on playing live the songs from its latest album and the songs from its previous work, without leaving out the most loved pieces and covers.

On stage, Royel plays hidden behind his messy hairwith a gesture that recalls a language close to that of Kurt Cobain, while Otis’ voice moves between naturalness and impetussupported by an indie-rock that touches on other eras, between Fleetwood Mac echoes and more intimate and frenetic ideas, while maintaining a personal trajectory that defines their identity.

Returning to the writings projected on the background, Royel Otis really cares a lot about the meaning of their songs: many of them come explain yourself with a short bright sentence behind them, others from videos or visuals. From “Adored“, with a romantic message dedicated directly to Milan, “meet in Milan”, “Who’s your boyfriend” is presented as “a song about a friend”. While “Come on home” is described as a piece about “homesickness”, “Shut up” is “a song about not wanting someone to leave.” The moment Royel and Otis are left alone on stage for two acoustic pieces, the one also arrives cover of “Linger” by The Cranberries to raise singalongs and clapsas well as cell phones to record the moment. “Help sing this one”, “Help us sing it”, is the message that comes from the screen. Immediately afterwards the band is back in full force to make everyone dance on “I wanna dance with you”. Royel Otis also cares about their fans, to whom they dedicate “Sofa king” with that refrain that raises chants of “You’re so fucking gorgeous”, while the names of the first people who bought concert tickets flash on the screen. Here we come to the cover of “Murder on the dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextorwhich after the controversial film “Saltburn”, has become everyone’s hit since last year. In the sound environment of the Australian group, the song originally released almost twenty-five years ago remains a catchphrase that makes anyone move unconsciously.

The Fabrique date enters that category of live events that become obligatory pieces to understand a phenomenon at its peak. Twenty-one songs in the setlist, just over an hour of concert, a continuous succession of passages that alternate dance, singing, memory and presence, until the final encore with “Oysters in my pocket“, which closes the circle and seals an already solid relationship with the Italian public. The final sensation is that of an evening that builds participation and confirms the momentum of a band that does not live only on hype, but on rhythm, writing, gesture, sound. A group that today is no longer just a promise, but a bright spot in a scene that is looking for new faces and new stories to follow.

The lineup:

i hate this tune
Adored
Heading for the Door
who’s your boyfriend
car
Kool Aid
Foam
moody
come on home
shut up
she’s got a gun
more to lose
jazz burgers
Linger – Cover by The Cranberries

I Wanna Dance with You
Bull Breed
Fried Rice
Sofa King
Murder on the Dancefloor – Cover by Sophie Ellis‐Bextor

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Oysters in My Pocket