Royel Otis rocked the Canopy Club on Sept. 19, kicking off the first of Pygmalion’s main stage performances this year.
Royel Otis is an Australian band towing genre lines in the indie-pop sphere. They are composed of their namesake members, Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic. The Canopy Club was one stop on their first U.S. tour.
“Thanks for having us,” Pavlovic said between songs. “We’ve never been here before.”
The night began with an opening set from Chicago-based group Friko.
They blasted into the room with explosive energy, which the audience returned. The stage presence of the entire band was felt, with people laughing and cheering along. The group isn’t new to the area, as vocalist Niko Kapetan emphasized.
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“Urbana-Champaign, we played a lot of house shows here,” Kapetan said.
The energy of a house show was flowing during the Friko set. They played animatedly, thrashing and dancing to their more aggressive songs.
Kapetan sang a few ballads with accompaniment from drummer Bailey Minzenberger. The soft guitar and drum beat was a stark shift that succeeded in drawing the reverent attention of the audience.
After their endearing opening set, the room crowded in anticipation of the headliner. Royel Otis was met with huge cheers from the crowd as they came into view.
The band quickly played for the first 10 minutes, diving headfirst into the show. They opened with “Heading For The Door” off their recent debut album “PRATTS & PAIN.”
There was little breathing room between songs. The constant pace led to total immersion in the band’s guitar-fueled sound, seemingly forcing the audience to sway along.
Throughout the show, Royel Otis played a combination of songs off their new album and kept it fresh by dipping into their older singles and EP tracks. One of their newer tunes was “Claw Foot” off their recent album, which provided an indie-pop bubblegum beat with interesting percussive choices throughout.
When they played the opening notes to “Sofa King,” people cheered and began singing along. “Sofa King” is one of their most popular songs, hailed as a dream pop must-listen.
“Velvet” is a song off their debut album, reminiscent of classic rock. There is a clear progression in their musical style present in this more recent song. They sang “my baby” repeatedly with a funky keyboard in the background.
“Sonic Blue” with its upbeat backtrack shifted expectations with some concerning lyrics.
“I’ll drink down antifreeze/ I’ll drink down anything with no shame,” they sang.
The reference to antifreeze seems to relate to the title of the song. It is easy to ignore the lyrics in favor of the synth-heavy background track, but they tell an interesting story.
The mood changed with “Til The Morning,” a calming break from the upbeat songs with a more heartfelt ballad. The song is a nostalgic piece about missing someone, with a rhythm that reflects the melancholy lyrics.
The wide variety of songs played during the event engaged listeners in different ways, with swaying and nodding turning into exclaiming and cheering.
Despite coming all the way from Australia, Royel Otis quickly picked up on the spirit of the Champaign-Urbana music scene. Their chemistry onstage, paired with their interest in the town, made them feel local.
“Have you guys had the pizza that’s next door,” Maddell said referring to Manolos. “It’s so f—— good.”
This witty banter — while short-lived between songs — was refreshing to see. They seemed to genuinely be having fun on stage, encouraging the audience to do the same.
Toward the end of their set, the band covered “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Their cover video of the song from triple j radio has garnered over six million views.
The duo ended the song with their hit “Oysters In My Pocket.” As they began to leave the stage, the crowd chanted until the band returned for an encore.
They began by singing “Linger” by The Cranberries — a song they covered previously on SiriusXM — which has amassed over 17 million views. The crowd sang along loudly, adding to the magical sound of the classic tune.
They closed the night with their song “Kool Aid” from their EP “Sofa Kings.” A relaxing send-off to end an otherwise lively night.
Josh Rodrigues, a traveling install specialist from Rantoul, found Royel Otis’s music through TikTok.
“The audience was really into it,” Rodrigues said regarding the music. “Fantastic energy, and the quality’s great.”
The crowd response was a highlight of the show, with groups clapping, singing and dancing.
Longtime supporters of the C-U music scene Betsy and Robby McLemore first heard Royel Otis through SiriusXM radio. They were excited to see the band was coming to Pygmalion.
“We thought they were really good,” Betsy McLemore said. “I thought their energy was great.”
Royel Otis was just the first act to take the main stage of Pygmalion this year. Pygmalion will continue around the C-U area through Saturday.
