ROYEL OTIS
ABOUT TO EMBARK ON A NATIONAL TOUR, THIS DUO ARE ALSO KILLING IT WITH THEIR VIRAL HIT
SINGLE ‘BEAUTIFUL EYES’ BY AMY SHARK
Of all the songs that Amy Shark has written, she says this one is her favourite – and it will soon be yours too. The Australian Idol judge explains she wrote ‘Beautiful Eyes’ while touring regional Australia in 2022. “I had a lot of time alone to think about the past and the future and my life and all the people in it.,’ she said. (Out now)
CONCERT ALIVE GARDEN PARTY
Headlined by the UK’s Club Symphony, Alive Garden Party is hoping to make its mark by claiming a spot on the outdoor events calendar for the first time. The five-date tour hits open spaces across Australia in March and April with guests encouraged to bring picnic blankets and enjoy the vibes. (Info at alivegardenparty.com)
PODCAST
The family of Bob Dickie always thought there was something strange about his disappearance from his Dubbo farmhouse in June 2016. And they were right. This true crime podcast seeks to unravel the mystery of what happened to Dickie and the trial of a woman charged with his murder. (Out now)
Who knew that when Barry Keoghan danced naked through an English mansion to the tune of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ for the much-discussed movie Saltburn that it would set off a chain of events that would see Indie newcomers, Royel Otis, become a viral sensation?
But that’s basically what’s happened. For Triple J’s Like a Version series, the Sydney duo chose to cover the resurrected disco hit, and before it was even available to stream, it had notched up over 3 million views on
TikTok and generated strings of headlines. The original song’s inclusion in the cult film also saw Ellis-Bextor return to the charts.
Royel Otis’ cover has exposed them to a whole new audience, and it’s perfect timing for the pair, childhood friends Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell, as they hit the road to support the release of their debut album Pratts & Pain. The tour kicks off in Sydney on February 16 and heads to metro and regional cities. (Pratts & Pain is released on Feb. 16. Tour and ticket info at frontiertouring.com)