Welsh indie favourites The Royston Club returned to Cardiff to play the Great Hall, joined by Liverpool band Permanent (Joy), and it turned into one of the standout shows the venue has hosted this year.
The Royston Club’s rise over the past few years has been steady and well earned. Strong support slots, completed three sets at Glastonbury, played at Liam Gallagher’s Malta festival and two studio albums they have built a loyal following, and this Cardiff date, is part of their biggest tour “Songs For The Spine” showed just how far they’ve come. A packed-out Great Hall buzzed with anticipation, with fans eager to hear Wrexham’s finest in a setting that still feels intimate despite its size.
Permanent (Joy) opened the night, stepping on stage in a line of guitars and sunglasses, delivering a short but confident set packed with 90s-leaning indie. Their sound went down well with the young uni crowd, and there was a definite nod to classic Britpop in the air, a sign of the musical moment we’re in right now. They did exactly what an opening band should do and warmed the room up nicely.
As the lights dipped and the band’s bull logo hug in the background, chants of “Royston Club, Royston Club” rang out across the hall. When the band finally walked on, the reaction was huge. They wasted no time, kicking straight into Patch where nothing grows, with the crowd singing every word back at them. From there on, the response felt like a greatest hits show rather than a band only six years into their journey.
Frontman Tom Faithfull is a commanding presence, one of the most natural and engaging frontmen in emerging music. The band fed off the room’s energy as they powered through highlights including Buster, Mrs Narcissistic, Tender Curiosity, Mariana and Shiver, each met with massive singalongs, raised arms and people on shoulders.
They closed the night with an acoustic version of Cariad, filling the smoke-heavy room with emotion as a Welsh flag waved proudly in the crowd and on stage. It was a perfect ending to a night that felt both celebratory and significant.
This was a polished, passionate performance from a band clearly on the up. For Cardiff, it was a treat to see them in a venue like this while it still feels close and personal. If this show is anything to go by, the next time The Royston Club return to Cardiff, it will be on much bigger stages. When people ask where the next big band is coming from and when we’ll see them break through, the answer is already standing right in front of us. The Royston Club are not just next up, they’re already on their way.
