Australian indie-pop with Royel Otis
Bristol Sounds have annonced Royel Otis as closing headliners for the 2026 series on Sunday 28 June 2026.
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The duo Royel Otis whose emotionally loaded, nostalgia-fuelled anthems have a massive global following, will headline the final night of the Harbourside series on Sunday 28 June 2026. Tickets go on sale Friday 28 November here. The latest headliner joins a stacked line-up including The Kooks, Super Furry Animals, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and two sold-out nights from The Streets.
Made up of Royel Maddell (guitar) and Otis Pavlovic (vocals), Royel Otis began writing together after meeting while working odd jobs around Bondi Beach. Their sound - built on bright melodies, razor-sharp hooks and a knack for capturing the excitement of firsts (first gig, first crush, first hickey) - has made them one of the most talked-about new acts in indie music.
Conal Dodds, Festival Organiser and Promoter at Bristol Sounds, said: "We're really excited to present yet another incredible international act to the Bristol Sounds main stage. This year's six show line up looks likely to sell out every night, and this show will be a fitting end to a great week of shows."
The pair broke through with their debut album PRATTS & PAIN, viral covers of The Cranberries’ Linger and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor. The latter hit #1 on the US Alternative Airplay Chart, while Linger collected over 220 million global streams and earned them their first Billboard Hot 100 entry.
Their second album, hickey, marked a more confident chapter - a collection of songs that feel romantic and full of sensory touches. Tracks like ‘moody’ held the top spot on the US AAA Mediabase and Billboard charts for over seven weeks, while ‘car’ earned them BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record and weeks on the B-List. Combined, the band has clocked over 1 billion streams globally, with 150 million from the UK alone and now count 12.6 million monthly Spotify listeners.
Over the past year, Royel Otis have brought their guitar-pop anthems to some of the world’s biggest stages - from Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and Lollapalooza to Fuji Rock, Outside Lands and Osheaga - with Coachella 2026 still to come. Now, they’re heading back to Bristol for their biggest show in the city to date, closing out the 2026 edition of Bristol Sounds.
Onstage, they move like “two friends with one shared pulse,” delivering a live experience that’s been championed by Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and more. As Otis puts it, “We just want to make people dance together. Everyone’s invited.”
The full Bristol Sounds 2026 line-up includes: The Kooks on Tuesday 23 June, Super Furry Animals on Wednesday 24 June, The Streets on Thursday 25 June (sold out), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark on Friday 26 June, The Streets again on Saturday 27 June (sold out) and Royel Otis closing the series on Sunday 28 June. Tickets available online here.