Royel Otis Rocks Prospect Park

By Sophie Kolax

As a gig, I found that Royel Otis at Prospect Park definitely did not disappoint. Ax and the Hatchetmen came out with the perfect opening set to gear the crowd up for more surfer-indie songs for Royel Otis’ last stop on the North American leg of their meet me in the car tour. The bands complemented each other perfectly, making for a great end to a hot Brooklyn night in the middle of July. The concert took place on July 20th, and was one of several shows and exhibits as part of the Brooklyn Information & Culture (BRIC) Celebrate Brooklyn Festival. The venue featured a great stage, fairy lights, and loads of food vendors from the park’s iconic Smorgasborg food festival.

I have been a fan of the openers, Ax and the Hatchetmen, since I added their song ‘Peach Trees’ to a summer playlist in 2020. They have lived on and off my radar since then, coming back as one of my favourites when their lead singer, Axel Ellis, joined The Runarounds, who quickly became another all-time favourite band of mine. 

Ax and the Hatchetmen played some of my favourite songs of theirs, including ‘Love Songs’, ‘Oasis’, and ‘Stay//Honestly’, which really showcased the band’s sound, even in a shorter opening set. They also played their newest song ‘Loser’, which was released just three days before the show. The crowd favourite, however, was definitely their cover of Neon Trees’ ‘Everybody Talks’, which had everyone dancing and singing along. If you are a fan of surfer-rock like that of Royel Otis, and have yet to get yourself acquainted with Ax and the Hatchetmen, I would definitely recommend listening to their music, especially their newest album So Much to Tell You.

Royel Otis came out soon after, opening with ‘i hate this tune’, followed by more tracks from their album hickey. Despite leaving some of their more popular songs such as ‘Kool Aid’ and ‘moody’ until a little later in the set, the crowd was singing along to the whole set, all of the new songs as well as their popular singles and covers.

The Australian duo Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic first began playing together in 2019. Otis, who sings lead vocals, commanded the crowd easily, whilst Royel accompanied as lead guitarist. Their performance was accompanied by retro-themed videos for most of their recent releases, as well as graphics with text that gave context to some of their more popular songs. 

Before heading into some of their biggest hits, Royel Otis performed a beautiful cover of ‘Linger’ by The Cranberries, again having the whole crowd join in. The band fed off the united energy of the crowd and immediately set off into their hits, getting fans jumping and dancing with their songs ‘I Wanna Dance With You’ and ‘Sofa King’. During ‘Sofa King’, the graphics behind the band were used to tell New York how ‘gorgeous’ they were, and even included individual names of fans on the screen. I was lucky enough to have my name featured, which left me feeling giddy.

The duo then continued with their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’, which went viral in 2024. The band used covers that fit with their setlist to keep the crowd engaged throughout the show. They then finished their regular set with ‘say something’.

Without performing their most iconic tune, ‘Oysters in my Pocket,’ it didn't take much encouragement to get the band back on stage for an encore, including their new song ‘Sweet Hallelujah’, and then lighting up the park as the whole crowd joined in for the chorus singing “oysters in my pocket / i’ll save them for lunch” before taking their final bow, and thanking Brooklyn for their enthusiasm late into a Monday night. The two bands matched each other well, both with songs perfect for a surfer’s indie summer playlist, or for a Williamsburg cafe. 

The show was one of the best atmospheres I have experienced, reminding me how much I enjoy gigs at a small venue with a dedicated fanbase. I left hungry for more, and eager to listen to more of both bands’ music as long as the days stay hot. With Royel Otis planning an upcoming tour in the EU/UK, I would definitely keep an eye out for tickets to see them take the stage again.