Royel Otis @MGM: Love is in the Air, the Curators of Good Vibes
Emily Malkan ’27 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer and Editor
Summer has just ended; Boston fall has begun. The leaves are ever-so-slightly orange but the afternoons are still sunny. What better concert to attend than Royel Otis, the indie pop-rock duo from Sydney, known for their coming-of-age, feel good, warm and dreamy blend of reverb and percussion, at the iconic Fenway venue, MGM Music Hall.
With 30 minutes between the opener, bby, a rising band from London, and the main act, the Royel Otis fans of Boston flood the merch table and bar. Conversations sparked easily; This crowd was particularly friendly, gently bopping their heads and bouncing their knees to the curated background playlist, which showcased songs from other clients of the band’s manager, Andrew Klippel. My media coverage counterpart, Oscar Grubelic, and I were approached a few times with kind conversation starters or compliments, feeding the good vibes already – before the music had even begun.
The lights went dim and the playlist faded. Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic emerged from the wings with a groove to their walk. Otis, with a seltzer in hand and “MU” cap (from the beloved 2013 Disney animation, Monster’s University) giving us all a spark of nostalgia, and Royel, with his curly bleached hair discreetly hiding his face, grab their guitars and open with “i hate this tune”, the first track on their second studio album, Hickey (2025). Supporting them is Tim Commandeur on drums and Tim Ayre on keys.
A white screen lights up behind the band with the words in a black serif font: “this is a song about a friend”, as they play “who’s your boyfriend”. Throughout the show, these one line descriptions would appear behind them, giving the audience an opportunity to reminisce deeper in their own memories. The backdrop changes to video clips of two lovers going on a roadtrip for “car”, and an orange haze fills the stage, reminding us of a summer sunset drive with our favorite people.
Before the final few songs, Pavlovic and Maddell suddenly appear on a pop-up platform in the back of the house. Fans snap their heads and run towards the new location. The mini-stage, only a couple feet above us, created an unexpected intimate energy. No LED backdrop or smoke machine. Just the two boys and their guitars.
After the first song on the house platform, Otis announces a special occasion for Boston. He introduced a friend, Ryan, who grabs his girlfriend’s hand and pulls her up on the 6’x6’ stage. Ryan gracefully gets down on one knee as the two wide spotlights create a light pink cloud over the newly engaged couple. The couple’s last embrace led into the duo’s signature cover of Linger by the Cranberries, recently featured in Season 3, Episode 5 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty”.
After returning to the main front stage, they end out with seven more tunes. Picking up the pace, “I Wanna Dance with You” plays, and the backdrop instructs the audience to “dance with the person next to you”. Everyone immediately turns to their neighbor and dances together with pure joy and adrenaline. The tempo slows down for “jazz burger”, and the jumping becomes a sway. Even for these slower, sweeter moments, the four players fill the entire venue. Royel Otis proves that it doesn’t take a big band to be loud – just great intonation, fluid rhythm and movement, and sharing energy with both the rest of the band and the audience.
Going back to the poetic one-liners in the black serif font for “Sofa King”, the backdrop reads “Boston, you’re so f*cking gorgeous”. Then, “Boston” is replaced every 8-count with a new name of someone in the crowd. A man next to me, John, turned over to his friends, elated to see his name featured on the stage. His friends all cheered for him – another snapshot of the concert’s warm energy. As their set comes to an end, the singular lines of text change faster and faster, listing out memories, places, moments that have all inspired their album.
Royel Otis are the champions of atmosphere and good vibes. A high energy yet comforting crowd, part performance, part private gathering.
The indie pop band continues their tour, playing New York the day after Boston. Then, they will head back to their home country, Australia, for eight shows, before making their way through Europe and South America, playing a variety of venues and festivals. The duo will complete their international tour in mid-April, where you’ll find them in the desert for Coachella’s 25th edition of the festival.
If you’re lucky enough to catch them live, not only will you hear perfectly in tune vocals and elite musicianship, but you will also experience a loving audience and electric connection with the band, whether you’re right at barricade, or in the nosebleeds.