If you like: Phoenix, The Strokes, Atlas Genius and Scandinavian indie-pop that makes you want to dance, The Royal Concept might be for you.
On a warm, sunny afternoon, a group of jovial young men and women are seen diving into a swimming pool and dancing their way into night. Fireworks are set off and the party continues on a dancefloor, with confetti raining down on them. In the background, heartbeat-like percussions, dreamy synthesizer and a powerful voice belts out some catchy lyrics, “We are young, we are one, let it shine for what it’s worth…”
This is a scene from the music video of The Royal Concept’s 2013 hit single, ‘On Our Way’ – a song that was chosen by EA Sport’s FIFA 14 as part of the videogame’s soundtrack, and later covered by the cast of Glee in a season 5 episode. Such endorsements allowed the Stockholm-born four-piece rock band’s signature youthful “sunny pop” sound with electronic elements to extend its reach way beyond Sweden, and into the TV and smartphone screens of millions of gamers and viewers.
Photo courtesy of the band.
“That’s a big mystery for us, but we’re very happy about it,” says David Larson, The Royal Concept’s vocalist and guitarist, of their popularity halfway across the world in Asia. His energetic vocals, along with the captivating rhythms and beats courtesy of lead guitarist Filip Bekic, bassist Magnus Robert and drummer Povel Olsson, weave together a wall of sound that has been likened to indie bands such as Phoenix, Foster the People and The Strokes – a comparison that Larson admits makes them “quite happy.”
In particular, Larson counts the New York-based rock band as one of their biggest musical influences. “The Strokes were the best thing that happened when we were teenagers. They brought [guitar-driven, indie-rock sound] into the new millennium, which wasn’t an easy thing to do back in the late 90s and early 2000s.”
Photo courtesy of the band.
Around the same time, Larson met his bandmate, guitarist Filip Bekic, while they were attending a jazz high school in Stockholm. The duo later befriended Robert in college. “[The three of us] got so tired of being educated; the only thing we wanted to do was play rock-’n-roll. We felt like we needed to drop out of school, so we did,” Larson told Interview magazine in 2012.
Olsson came on board shortly thereafter as an album producer, and eventually joined as the band’s final member. The foursome’s first album, Goldrushed, was released in 2013, and included hits like ‘On Our Way,’ ‘D-D-Dance,’ and ‘Damn.’
“Goldrushed reflected our youth,” Larson says, reflecting upon their humble beginnings. “The music was happy, danceable pop songs with lyrics about being hopelessly in love with the wrong girl.”
The Royal Concept’s sophomore release, a five-track EP titled Smile, came in 2015. “[Smile] was definitely influenced by our time living in Los Angeles. There’s something about the whole atmosphere with the sunshine and musical heritage,” explains Larson. While the hooks of some songs, such as the lead single ‘Fashion,’ remain as catchy as their earlier work, tracks like ‘Hurricane’ see the band experimenting with a heavier, groovier 80s dance-pop vibe in the arrangements.
Photo courtesy of the band.
After Smile, the band has been busy touring around the world. Just last summer, they completed an eight-city China tour, and one particular incident stood out to Larson as the most memorable. “We’re big fans of spicy food, so right before our Shenzhen show, we had dinner in a hotpot restaurant. That night, one of us (who shall remain anonymous) had to run off stage to the bathroom four times,” he jokes.
When they were not on the road, however, the foursome had also been working on their brand new four-track EP titled The Wake Up, which dropped on Sep 17. He teases, “We let our imagination run a little further this time. It’s definitely the richest and dreamiest music we’ve made so far.”
This month, The Royal Concept will be back in the Middle Kingdom for 10 shows, stopping off in major cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan and Shanghai. For high school friends Larson and Bekic in particular, the relationship they’ve built over their entire musical career, as well as having the opportunity to discover the world together, is something very special.
Looking back at their decades-long friendship, Larson notes, “From writing songs in my parents’ apartment, to forming the band and getting a record deal, to moving to the US and going on tour together… our dreams actually came true. And, we are still not tired of each other yet!”
Sep 30, 8.30pm, RMB150 presale, RMB200 door. Modern Sky Lab, see event listing.
0 User Comments