As often happens, you lose track of bands and their progress. But then it’s also the case that sometimes bands go quiet for a while. And so it is with Theatre Royal: it’s been almost five years since their last album, ‘Portraits’.
Their sixth album, ‘A Change Of Weather’ is a suitably vibrant return, a set of thirteen perfectly-realised indie tunes which are by turns downcast and melancholy and bright and lively bursting with brass – but mostly, it’s uptempo and energetic, even when it’s wrestling with conflicting emotions and tension. ‘Feel a Lot Better’ is exemplary: it’s kinda fiery, the jangle sharpened by an almost punky edge, and it’s got that feel of The Wedding Present in the late 80s.
Indeed, ‘A Change Of Weather’ delves into the range of 80s indie / alternative that isn’t really a thing so much anymore. There’s a hint of Spear of Destiny – or, perhaps more accurately, Theatre of Hate – about ‘Welsh Coastal Towns’. Then again, there’s a bit of The Wedding Present in this indie thrashabout, too. “Sometimes, I’ve had enough of being called a father / And sometimes, I’m glad, glad I’m called a father’, singer Oliver hollers with a rare emotional honesty that’s affecting in its directness.
|
The energy levels are up on this set of songs, and the guitars are fast and energetic, and closer ‘Into the River’ has all the hallmarks of The Wonderstuff’s first album – which was, and remains, a corker. The same is true of ‘A Change Of Weather’.
It seems as if the time away has been spent refocusing, or perhaps just living life and amassing life experience and idea. Either way, Theatre Royal, have returned energised, and on peak form. They haven’t released a duff album to date, but ‘A Change Of Weather’ is a bit special.
|
