Welcome to Huddersfield. That seemed to be theme of the evening. An evening set up by the Students Union at the end of University freshers’ week, when the rugby league team were playing at home and when the opening band, Long Island, also hail from the town.

This is a band that is picking up speed. They’ve recently headlined at Trinity Live, have supported at the very venue and are booked to return as headliners in their own right in November. Added to that they’ve released their first album, Infatuation’s A Nightmare, earlier this year. It’s hard to define their genre. There’s so many styles and influences in there but they still sit firmly within the indie family. The majority of songs are built around the heavy bass of Paddy Spence-Lewis which jumps in and out of funk and jazz at times. Cameron Conner provides the guitar work along with the occasional backing vocals and Jan van Beem is on the sticks. All this sits behind the wandering vocals of Rhiannon Stephenson.

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Once the teething troubles of the electronics in the opening track had been overcome, which didn’t faze them one bit, we progressed through an eclectic set of many genres. The singles Blissful Satisfaction and Broken were in there along with Average, described as a **** you to your ex. Album tracks such as Wild Nights and Not Fair displayed their versatility in a punk meets funk meets jazz meets rock kind of set list. There’s a Wendy James and an Anabella Lwin sound to Stephenson’s mellow at times, haunting at others voice. It works well and gives the band a unique sound of their own. Thoroughly enjoyable and a great way to kick off an evening.

We all know that Wrexham is gaining international attention at the moment. Most of it is due to what is being put into the city, however, so it’s refreshing to see something good come out of it at last. No disrespect to Robbie Savage, Tetra Pak or even the A534 but when I say good, I mean GOOD and The Royston Club are certainly that. Named after a social club in nearby Acrefair, this four piece have had many kind words written about them recently – and with good reason. Their debut album Shaking Hips & Crashing Cars has been exceptionally well received and getting a ticket for their upcoming UK tour is almost impossible, so I was pleasantly surprised to see them lined up to play The Parish as part of Huddersfield Live. Needless to say, I seized the opportunity to grab a ticket and headed along. I’d half expected to feel outnumbered by students seeing as the gig formed part of bigger ‘welcome to’ and ‘welcome back’ events. That wasn’t the case, however, and it felt more like business as usual at a venue that does these things so well. 

For a four piece guitar band they use their talents well to produce a sound which is crisp, clear and precise from start to finish. At times in their set they deploy an extra band member and an acoustic guitar as a fifth instrument giving a roundedness to songs such as their opening number Blisters. From here on in they had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands. The energy, engagement, captivating and the way their sings were sung back to them was such that you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was a ‘home’ gig. Between the voices of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Tom Faithfull, lead guitarist Ben Matthias and bassist Dave Tute the group have an exceptional mix of melody and harmony, hitting the notes with precision and creating a depth of complementary sound. Their music is accessible but compelling; sharp but with just enough of that raw edge to give them that ‘something’ that makes such a difference. 

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We are taken though an extensive set list of fourteen songs. Quite a feat for such a young band but something that they clearly enjoy doing. There was no fuss, just focus, as they ripped through a list of somewhat anthemic tunes. It gave them a chance to share many of their album tracks too: Believe It Or Not, Shallow Tragedy, The Deep End and Missed The Boat (Jumped In The Sea) punctuated a procession of favourites that included Cold Sweats, Mrs Narcissistic and Mariana. We were even taken right back in time to their first demo release of Shawshank. 

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As the set progressed, the hotter things got until drummer Sam Jones was playing topless, in his skins as well as playing on them on his kit. Matthias had clearly known what was coming and was already in his vest on entering the stage! The pace, the energy and the commitment made for an electric evening. The crowd bounced, the crowd applauded, the crowd loved it. 

After seeing them live, it’s easy to understand why The Royston Club have so many plaudits. Their live show was every bit as well produced as their recorded music. There’s clearly a core of loyal followers, many of whom had ventured all the way to Yorkshire for the evening, but the band are picking up more advocates with every note played. The four years since forming have seen them refine their product to the polished article that it is now. If you’ve got a ticket for their tour then lucky you, you’re going to have a great time. If you’ve not, well I’d urge you to try and get one somehow. The band are on the rise and I’m not sure we’ll be seeing them in such intimate venues for too much longer. I’m just pleased to have grabbed one by chance (but if anyone’s got a spare…).

Words and images by Duncan Grant.