Concert Review: Royel Otis (Lincoln Theatre)

BY CHRIS HOCKER

Royel Otis is having a moment.

After the release of three EPs in their native Australia, the duo of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic released their first full-length album, Pratts & Pain, in February, which was heralded by the likes of Billboard, MTV, Paper, and Paste. They went viral earlier this year with their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder On The Dancefloor" for triple j's Like A Version. In April, they followed that up with a most excellent cover of The Cranberries' "Linger" for SiriusXM's Alt Nation channel. So it should surprise no one after quickly selling out the Cat's Cradle Back Room, the band was moved to the much larger Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh.

Which also sold out.

The Lincoln Theatre was packed on Saturday night. After a great opening set from Australia's Girl And Girl, Royel Otis hit the stage around 9:15 PM. They ripped through many of Pratts & Pain's tracks and crowd favorites like "Fried Rice," "Foam," and "Sofa King." They also played the two aforementioned covers and Pavlovic sounded absolutely amazing on "Linger." They even debuted a new track, a ballad which they said would be released soon, before closing the night with "Kool Aid." The crowd loved every moment of the show, and Royel Otis sincerely commented several times that this was the best stop on the tour.

If you get a chance to see Royel Otis live, do it. If you're not familiar with their music, rectify that immediately.

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CHRIS HOCKER, Editor

Strange Carolinas started as a hobby for Chris Hocker who often dragged his family to offbeat detours on family vacations. Hocker decided to start photographing and writing about these roadside attractions and in June 2014, launched Strange Carolinas with a story on Myrtle Beach's KISS Coffeehouse. In addition to chronicling over 400 attractions across the Carolinas, Strange Carolinas has also become an impressive music blog.