“This is our second time in St. Paul,” Royel Otis lead vocalist/guitarist Otis Pavlovic said at First Avenue on Sunday evening. Then, the Australian band’s keyboardist Tim Ayre corrected him: We were, indeed, in Minneapolis. (The band played Amsterdam Bar and Hall back in April.) Though Pavlovic would later say, “Thank you, St. Paul,” he never seemed disoriented when delivering the band’s feel-good melodies. In front of a large shrimp figurine, Pavlovic and co-frontman Royel Maddell used their glossy guitar tones to create danceable indie-pop all evening. 

Before the room lit up with Royel Otis’ bubblegum riffs, Friko, an up-and-comer from the Chicago music scene, kicked off the show. They played a stripped down set at Electric Fetus record store earlier in the afternoon, but went full force on the Mainroom stage. Frontman Niko Kapetan, drummer Bailey Minzenberger, guitarist Korgan Robb, and an alternative touring bassist appeared confident as they unveiled the explosive rock and melodramatic chamber pop from their 2024 debut album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here. The three string instruments created a textured palette for the group to play around with, especially on the tempo-driving “Crimson and Chrome.” Ballads like “Cardinal” and “For Ella” presented a full spectrum of emotion. 

Royel Otis also dabbled in emotional lyricism, but their sound stuck to an upbeat and playful mood. Without a bass on stage, room to sink into darker or heavier musical territory was a bit limited. Along with the Sofa King EP, the band’s set pulled heavily from their debut album, Pratts and Pain, named after Pratts and Payne, a pub Pavlovic and Maddell went to while recording in London. “Foam” was a groovy bit of psych-pop. The funky “Big Ciggie” had Ayre shaking a tambourine and Julian Sudek pounding steady drums loops. “Kool Aid” came with a surf rock flare. The song “Fried Rice,” which the duo told The Current’s Bill Deville was a product of simply having fun in the studio after visiting a wine bar, sounded like a sparkling rollercoaster of rosé.

If you looked away from the stage, you may have felt the sonic presence of early 2010s indie-pop artists — a little MGMT-style psychedelia here, a little sugar-smacked synth-pop Passion Pit-style there. Take the song “Sofa King,” which echoes “Take a Walk” or “Carried Away” from Passion Pit’s 2012 album, Gossamer. The same goes for the bounciness of songs like “Claw Foot” and “I Wanna Dance With You,” which could be lifted out of the Wombats’ catalog.

For Pratts and Pain, Royel Otis teamed with Dan Carey, the English producer behind some of the most buzzed-about artists coming out of the U.K. and Ireland (Fontaines D.C., black midi, Wet Leg, Squid, Slowtai, etc.). Carey embraced the duo’s ‘00s/’10s indie nostalgia while innovating with his alternative rock sensibilities.

As for what got the audience the most pumped up, it was the cover songs. The band’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 was its viral cover of the Cranberries’ single “Linger.” The musicians told DeVille the song was a last-minute selection for its SiriusXM live session, and it paid off — on the charts and in the live show. Pavlovic and Ayre shared a cigarette as the crowd sang along to the classic, heartbreaking slow-burner. 

The other piece of borrowed material was the early-aughts “Murder On The Dancefloor” from Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The band revived the song’s original disco edge with more prominent guitar leads and kept the synthesizers for an equally danceable experience — danceable for the crowd at least. Pavlovic stood still holding the mic, hands covering his face. Maddell calmly focused on his instrument.

The duo’s fairly laid-back energies often didn’t match the joyful-sounding tracks. The music, paired with the elaborate and colorful light show, added a pop of necessary energy. But for a group whose allure rests upon its upbeat melodies, Royel Otis could gain a deeper audience connection by generating more dynamism onstage. 

Though Royel Otis headlined, Friko may have stolen the show in terms of engaging and enthusiastic showmanship. Lead singer Kapetan pleaded in a raspy voice, “I haven't said what I mean to say / Haven't done what I mean to do / 'Cause every coward looks away / From all thе light crashing through,” on “Crashing Through,” then hit a angelic falsetto on “Cardinal.” While Minzenberger pelted their drums with the utmost urgency on “Chemical,” Robb lost control of his body as he jolted his head and strummed tumultuously. The closer, “Get Numb To It,” projected the most expansive sound of the whole evening with an aura of doom, but make it exciting; angst but make it pleasurable. Kapetan knocked his mic stand to the ground and played the strings with his mouth. He mentioned “Purple Rain” and called First Avenue the biggest dream of a venue in the world to play. The singer certainly knew he was in Minneapolis. 

Royel Otis

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Friko

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Setlist (via setlist.fm)

Heading for the Door

Adored

Daisy Chain

Big Ciggie

Motels

Foam

Claw Foot

Sonic Blue

Velvet

I Wanna Dance with You

Nack Nostalgia

Fried Rice

Til the Morning

Sofa King

Going Kokomo

Murder on the Dancefloor (Sophie Ellis‐Bextor)

Oysters in My Pocket

Encore

Linger (The Cranberries)

Kool Aid