By Ruaidhrí Gillen Lynch
Last week , Wrexham’s indie rock band, The Royston Club, took to the Union’s stage. They bring with them a fanbase who know every lyric and every chant, and test how loud the speakers can go.
In an era of transferable audiences, Spotify Wrapped and eclectic playlists, these Welsh boys stand out, marked by a sincerity which is often lost in the indie music today.
The result is a fanbase who listen not because it’s the popular genre, not even because they’re so popular, but because the music is genuine.
The Indie scene today is saturated with many bands merely the product of the money thrown at them, but The Royston Club are not that.
Starting out in secondary school in 2017 before moving on to local open mic nights in Wrexham in 2018, these boys were homegrown and home-focused long before the success they experience today.
Speaking about growing up, frustrations he has felt and, of course, his Cariad, singer Ben Matthias sings about real emotions.
His passion is supported by the punchy rock drumming of Sam Jones, and the sharp and aggressive guitar and bass by Tom Faithfull and Dave Tut; the resulting music feels like an expression of everything young.
The boys follow in the footsteps of Welsh musical giants like Stereophonics, Catfish and The Bottlemen, and The Manic Street Preachers, who have led the Welsh scene in recent decades. But the genuine passion of the fans in the Great Hall on Friday night leaves me in no doubt that The Royston Club are on their way to dominating Wales’ indie scene.
The Royston Club show that Wales is, as ever, a musical and cultural powerhouse, the mantle of which will continue to be carried by the passion of Cymru’s youth.
