Sometimes, bands can play but lack the human touch and vice versa. Theatre Royal have both, what they’ve lacked is just that little bit of luck. With their new single ‘Port Bou’ though, they have got their breakthrough on day time BBC6.
Its blend of the Paisley and Medway scenes is far more revitalising than rehashing. It injects them with an ‘us vs the world’ spirit that makes you want to ride into battle with them. It’s the immediacy of the opening riff which fires everything up, much like The Jam’s ‘Running On The Spot’ or ‘The Gift’.
‘Port Bou’ is not solely about its chest out bravado. Far from it. This is pop music! The jingle jangle guitars shimmer throughout which simultaneously, conjure visions of hope and loneliness. Couple this with an early John Squire solo and a final third which has a brief, but glorious Ian McCulloch vocal drag, you clearly have one of 2017’s (grandchildren) nuggets of gold.