30/20? More like 100/100!

Alas, another indie gig I’ve attended which has made my love for the genre grow even more! Over the weekend, I had the chance to go and see The Royston Club at Birmingham’s O2 Institute, and I was beyond impressed. The band seriously exceeded my expectations.

I got into The Royston Club around a year ago, and songs such as Mrs Narcissistic and The Patch Where Nothing Grows certainly had reserved spaces in my playlists, but I would never have labelled myself as a hardcore fan by any means. I listened to the odd song, but never really asked Alexa to play them. However, when I saw that they were coming to the Institute, I thought, ‘why not?’ I know a few people who had seen them before and had only good things to say, so I thought it was worth going!

I must confess something… I became the person that so many of us hate at concerts, and I was not proud. I was stood at the front, and didn’t sing along because I didn’t know the words- I’M SORRY! It was purely accidental. By the time we got into the venue, it was absolutely packed, so thought we’d get a good view if we walked up the side of the room. We saw a prime empty spot in front of a pillar, which set us in the second row! However, it was clear why no one else was stood there: the aircon was going crazy. I felt like I was in an 80s music video with a wind machine. We had a perfect view though, so I may try the “walk up the side of the room” tactic again.

We arrived just to catch the end of the first support act, Waste Your Pain. Only the day after did I find out that the lead singer was CRUZ BECKHAM! I didn’t even know he was a musician (is this common knowledge, or have I been living under a rock?), and really wasn’t expecting to see him support The Royston Club in Birmingham! After some research following this discovery, it turns out that Waste Your Pain was Beckham’s “secret” band, and their first performance was actually supporting Royston in Brighton on the first night of the tour. From what I heard, the band were okay, but I think I would have to listen to them again properly to have an opinion on them. We only caught the last two songs, both of which had that distinct indie sound with a lilt in the vocals reminiscent of The Kinks and The Beatles.

Now, prepare yourselves as I type out a sentence I never thought I would say, nor write: I love Feet. Feet were The Royston Club’s second support act of the night, and how I wasn’t aware of their existence beforehand is beyond me. As soon as frontman George walked onto stage, waving his tambourine to the crowd, I was instantly in awe. He is Jim Morrison reincarnated, I’m telling you. He has a stage presence like nothing I have ever seen before, and a voice I can only describe as perfect! Their songs were so diverse, with slow ones, rockier ones, light indie ones, all with a whimsical and quirky vibe that I can’t quite explain, but had definitely missed out on prior to their performance! All I have listened to since Saturday’s show is their music, and there’s not a single song I don’t like. But Greasy Boy is certainly their best, in my opinion.

There’s one sensation from gigs that tops the any other feeling I have ever experienced, and it’s a very rare experience, which makes it even more special when you do get to feel it. And that is the discovery of a support band, and then them becoming one of your new favourite bands. I have only had this experience twice before: with Desperate Journalist supporting Suede, and Bad Nerves supporting The Darkness. And now with Feet supporting The Royston Club! I cannot recommend them enough.

I wonder if the bands compile the playlists that play in the venue before they come on stage? If so, The Royston Club have impeccable taste! As Elliott Smith’s Son of Sam played mere minutes before the headliners came on, I was in my element.

The band walked on stage to a dramatic orchestral score, which was already loud enough, but was drowned out by the cheers of their worshipping fans. It was this exact moment, I looked around, the crowd illuminated by the stage lights, that I realised just how big The Royston Club were, and how much bigger they’re going to get. And then my head soon whipped back to the stage as I was caught by the opening riff of The Patch Where Nothing Grows. There couldn’t have been a better song to open with: it’s clearly a fan favourite, it’s an upbeat belter, and it just really set up the mood for the rest of the night.

The song that was the highlight for me was A Tender Curiosity. It actually really choked me up! Tom and Ben shared the main mic, and then gave us the most moving vocal performance I have ever witnessed from an indie band. It was just beautiful. But, the best part of the song- in fact, one of the best parts of the whole show- was in fact the lighting. A shining blue from one side, and a fluorescent pink from the other created this warm purple that made me feel as though the audience were placed right into the heart of the music, and created a very intimate atmosphere.

The night ended with Cariad, and what a privilege it was to hear it live. This was the song that I shed actual tears to. Tom’s voice was just out of this world. It was such a poignant moment, I just stood and took it all in. The Institute is such a beautiful venue, with all the original architecture left inside, and the huge arch towering over the stage framed the band sensationally. Looking at the audience, from as young as 10 to pushing 60, there were tears, people on shoulders, everyone hugging each other. And this goes back to what I always say about fans of indie music: the fans are such a tight-knit community, and the music just brings them together, and Cariad live was the perfect example of this. The band left Tom with his guitar for a final round of the chorus to conclude the night, and for those last forty seconds or so, the choir of the crowd echoed throughout the room. It was a proper goosebump moment, that still gives me chills when I think about it. If only I had caught it on camera, but it was the exact moment my phone decided to inform me that I had no storage left…

I am now a FULL, 100% fan of The Royston Club. I don’t regret going in the slightest. I just regret not knowing the words and still standing at the front! Of course, there’s no issue standing face to face with the band and not singing along, but I have this thought in the back of my mind that a bigger fan deserved my spot in the crowd more than I did.

I left the Institute knowing for a fact that I will be seeing the band again. And again. And again! I went in quite blind, and they did not disappoint in the slightest. In fact, they exceeded my expectations. Tom especially blew me away: his singing is IDENTICAL to his vocals on the albums, which I find is so rare in artists. It really emphasised the intimacy of the gig, as if I were to close my eyes, I could’ve imagined that I was listening to them in my room at home!

I can certainly, certainly understand the hype now.