Royel Otis at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-10-03)

Heartbreak never sounded so good–

Australian guitar-pop sensations duo Royel Otis played a crowded Uptown Theater (after being brought indoors and upgraded from GrindersKC) in midtown Kansas City, in support of their second full-length, hickey, released in August (via Ourness/Capitol Records). Explaining the album title, the pair has said “…because love bites harder than any other emotion in the world.”

This run of their “meet me in the car tour” is only twelve US dates (+ two in Toronto) before Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic head back down under for some long sold-out shows, so KC was fortunate to be included on the docket. The band shows no signs of slowing either, already confirmed for South American Lollapaloozas and both weekends of next April’s Coachella.

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East London underground indie up-and-comers Bby got the evening started, in support of their debut full-length, “1” released last year. The buzz has been since their 2023 debut single, “hotline,” and the group (singer Benjy Gibson, guitarists Jessy Jacquet–Cretides and Tommaso Medica, bassist Deon Graham, and drummer Tom Parkins) unconventionally first all connected via social media.

Gibson’s brother is the notable producer/DJ Fred Again, who’s worked extensively with Ed Sheeran and the pair collab on the sort-of secret moniker, Rain Radio, and they grew up near Brian Eno, which all helped things, we’re sure. Their genre-crossing sound is a blend of pop, folk, and melodic grunge mixed with some electro and hip-hop tendencies, matched by an excitable and high energy live show (referred to as ‘hangs’); all of which seems to predict that they’ll keep gaining attention.

Despite their short set, Gibson found his way into the crowd several times, often energetically inciting the crowd to “get off your phone” and jump around (swigging orange juice to keep hydrated), adding if you weren’t sweaty by the end of their set, you might as well leave. He noted the band were still making new music too, performing a yet-unreleased song about touring and hotel life; and the band ended their set with how they recently began, initial single “hotline” and its repeating line, “You know where I am.”

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After a short set change, the members of Royel Otis (Maddell, Pavlovic, and touring members- keyboardist Tim Ayre and drummer Tim Commandeur) strode out to begin their seventy-minute set, also announced by the large widescreen LED panel behind them, displaying in white text on a pink background in simplistic terms that “(this is royel otis live).”

The new album is hickey, released in late August and the band began by launching into the record’s opener, the bouncy, “i hate this tune” (which by the way, no one did as the crowd was singing along from the onset) and confirmed their opening hello with “(welcome to the show)” appearing on the screen, to cheers immediately following.

Pavlovic, sporting a casual “Monsters University” cap, wandered around a bit, while Maddell (hair covering his face, as usual) mostly stayed in his spot at stage right, swaying to and fro in rhythm with the riffs from his guitar. The panel flashed “(meet me in kansas city)” before the cheery “Heading for the Door” got any remaining crowd members dancing, that weren’t yet, to do so.

Pavlovic mentioned it was good to be back (though they later admitted they couldn’t remember exactly when that last was, though do recall taking in, what else, but a Royals game) and the new “who’s your boyfriend” was clarified by the on-screen message, “(this is a song about a friend).”

“Foam” flashed with the message, “(show us your crooked teeth)” which at the least elicited smiles from the audience, and the giant word “Moody” on-screen, announced the new album’s first single, with the screen also clarifying that “come on home” was about being homesick.

Pavlovic strapped on an acoustic guitar for the emotive and anthemic “hard to lose” before things turned more intimate with “letter from roy > jazz burger”, which ends the new album. The pair asked the crowd to sing a-long with their delicate cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger”, played sparingly as a duo, with keyboardist Ayre re-entering towards the end with tambourine in hand, to encourage clapping along.

The screen message flashed “(dance with the person next to you)” signaling the uptempo of (duh) “I Wanna Dance with You” and Pavlovic pulled out a few moves of his own, briefly strutting about during 2022 song, “Bull Breed.”

Taking from the chorus of their 2023 hit, “Sofa King” the screen flashed “(kansas city you’re so f**king gorgeous)” to shrieks of crowd delight, and then it was time for murder– their breakthrough cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor”, first heard during Aussie station Triple J’s ‘Like a Version’ series (and which resuscitated Bextor’s own career as well.)

Pavlovic announced “Say Something” from the new album, as being their last song, but savvy fans of the band knew that there was one more, 2022’s “Oysters in my Pocket” (which sounds a little like early INXS) and one last chance to dance before the screen message of “(this was royel otis live in kansas city)” truly confirmed it was the end of the evening.

Kansas City came out, then made out with Royel Otis, getting its musical hickey in the process, only to have to go home without them after a short but impactful set; but given the electricity of their reception, expect an even bigger and more f**king gorgeous kiss, their next time through.

ROYEL OTIS at UPTOWN THEATER, KANSAS CITY MO (2025-10-03)

BBY at UPTOWN THEATER, KANSAS CITY MO (2025-10-03)