The Royston Club headed into Roundhouse, Camden, for their first-ever show at the venue, and my second. It’s an incredible venue and well worth the trip for a band you’d like to see. Stepping into the venue just at the end of the first support act, Jasper Hodges, finished, I was taken aback at how full the venue was so early in the event. I find it more common these days for people to show up for the support acts rather than only showing up for the main act.
This is the third stop on their European tour to celebrate their sophomore album Songs for the Spine, which was released at the end of last year. The crowd was definitely something else, and not something you experience at every gig. Every moment during the support acts, or any moment of silence, die-hard fans shouted “Royston, Royston, Royston” and pointed their fingers in the air. You don’t often see a crowd this loud before the headliner even walks on.
As mentioned, the venue was seemingly 80% full when I arrived at the end of the first support act and the start of the second act, Overpass. It did get busier as The Royston Club came around; however, seeing such a large crowd that early means you’ve got a room full of die-hard fans in for a treat. Upon taking to the stage, the band hung a Welsh flag over one of the microphone stands, a testament to their origins, being from the now well-known town of Wrexham, North Wales. This was a sold-out show, not the only one on this tour; the rest of their shows are running low or already sold out. The Roundhouse features a seated area upstairs that was also full to the brim, with people getting up, dancing, and singing during the act.
The lights dropped, and the band walked on to a massive cheer from the crowd, the moment they had been waiting for. It was incredible to hear such eager fans screaming for them. You definitely get fans, but this was something else.
As soon as they got on stage, they kicked into Shivers, a song with a great build-up to get the hype going, hooks, and mosh pit potential; the room erupted. It was the first song they played from their latest album. A great touch for a band to be able to open with a song from their latest album release and to have so many fans screaming to it. It is in their top 10 on streaming platforms. I was also very impressed by the number of fans who knew the lyrics word for word. Along with the crowd, the band’s audio mix was crisp, with the guitars cutting cleanly through the room and the vocals sitting perfectly on top.
The performance as a whole was great, with an incredible balance of their latest release, older classics, stage presence, and lighting. Some of the songs on the setlist included: I’m a Liar, from their first album, Mrs Narcissistic, an early release, Cariad, Spinning, and Curses & Spit, all of which are from their latest album
I saw most colours on the spectrum during their set, which is fascinating to see. Not only this, but I feel the lights matched their songs perfectly. A sombre moment came when they played A Tender Curiosity. The lights switched to a bright blue and purple. The lead singer, Tom Faithfull, and lead guitarist, Ben Matthias, harmonised beautifully. They played two instruments in tandem, an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar, which made for a great moment to perform this song. This was halfway through the show, and it was a great break between all the mayhem. Again, all the fans were harmonising along, and it made for a great showpiece.
Following this, they have been doing this at further shows, performing Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks. With some fans online critiquing that they don’t need this in their setlist anymore due to having the discography, this was a really cool addition and was a bit of a slow runner alongside A Tender Curiosity, so they went together like a puzzle piece. It’s rare to see bands this size covering songs like this. I am aware of The Kinks, but not this song, yet the crowd, again, knew every word. This is a great sign of how in tune the band is with their audience.
Overall, I am very, very impressed by the stage presence, crowd knowledge of the band, the songs, the lighting, and the audio. This show felt like a milestone, the kind of gig fans will talk about for years. They were predicted to go large years ago. I think they will only grow leaps and bounds from here. This was a great show to present their latest album and previous releases to an evidently hungry fanbase. If this tour is anything to go by, Songs for the Spine has cemented itself as a defining era for the band. The Royston Club didn’t just fill the Roundhouse; they owned it.
