Story and photos by Sofia Treviño
Light guitar flicks and gentle hums echoed throughout Stubb’s as the screen on stage turned Barbie pink. White lettering introduced the night’s performers, displaying “(this is royel otis live)”.
Australian indie pop duo Royel Otis flaunted cool, nonchalant energy for their hour-and-a-half set on Saturday. Made up of lead singer Otis Pavlovic and guitarist Royel Maddell, the band stopped in Austin on Saturday and Sunday for their U.S. headlining Meet Me in the Car tour, following the release of their second album, “hickey.”
Supported by Tim Commandeur on drums and Tim Ayre on keyboards, synthesizer, and backing vocals, the twosome’s New Wave and groovy bass lines drew in frat bros and indie listeners alike. The pair’s sounds reflect the music of late-night drives, the type of mellow singing and trilling guitar you’d want to hear driving down a highway.
Pavlovic’s smooth voice rang off bad boy lyrics from “who’s your boyfriend,” cooing, “‘Cause you’re sleeping with him, but it’s me you’re thinkin’ ‘bout.” Meanwhile, Maddell strummed in beat, his face concealed behind his long, blonde hair for the entire show.
A memorable moment followed, as Pavlovic handed the microphone to a fan who had a successful marriage proposal on stage. Naturally, the twosome continued their tracks with “Merry Mary Marry Me,” which featured a catchy verse set to a ticklish guitar loop.
Royel Otis continued the latter part of their performance with more upbeat songs, exemplified by their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor.” Even in the midst of dance-crazed fans, Pavlovic sang through the lyrics casually, without straining through the high notes.
Faking an end to the show, the group hopped back up on stage for an encore of “Oysters in My Pockets,” a bouncy guitar beat and staccato lyrics that had the audience jumping up and down. The notes gradually slowed, Pavlovic repeating a verse of “Oh well, that’s miles away,” before Royel Otis walked off as composedly as they had come on, marking the end to a night of indie pop at Stubb’s.
Setlist
“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 burger”
“Linger” (The Cranberries cover)
“Merry Mary Marry Me”
“I Wanna Dance With You”
“more to lose”
“Sofa King”
“Murder on the Dancefloor” (Sophie Ellis-Bextor cover)
“say something”
“Oysters in My Pockets”
