I was in primary school with 2/4 of the guys in Juke Royal (and one year of high school with another) and knew them (along with 2 others) in their previous incarnation Checked Zebra. I’m not the hugest fan of ska so was never mad about the CZ stuff I’d heard, but their new venture looked promising, and their official launch didn’t disappoint.
It was my first time at &Union and I’d been keen to check it out for a while. It’s a cool place, I’ll definitely be visiting again sometime. Unfortunately the fist song was marred by technical glitches, but they were hastily rectified and the sound was pretty good for the rest of the set.
Pascal from The Plastics had finished his set by the time I arrived, and unfortunately I had to leave a bit early too, but I caught most of Juke Royal’s set and really enjoyed what I heard. Not to knock Checked Zebra, who were pretty successful (doubly impressive given that they were essentially a high school band), but listening to Juke Royal I felt like they’re trying to be slicker and more professional…maybe ‘mature’ is a better word.
It’s good stuff and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for them. Plus they get bonus points for having a lead-vocalist bassist.
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Check them out:
Juke Royal on Facebook | Maiden Voyage free EP download | Sink the boat music video
