Royseven

Hailing from the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, alternative rock sextet Royseven play a tightly constructed style of ethereal pop that has been favorably compared to the likes of Snow Patrol, Muse, and Coldplay, and has earned the band a large following on the European festival circuit. Taking influence from alternative pop figureheads Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright, as well as psychedelic rock and the classical tradition, Royseven's music is characterized by a strong emphasis on texture and melody, while also featuring the soft, emotive vocals of frontman Paul Walsh. The members of Royseven had performed together in various guises since 2000, but it wasn't until late 2003 that all six came together under the name Jove. Tipperary-born singer Walsh, lead guitarist Sam Garland, and drummer Darragh Oglesby were all classically trained on their instruments, continuing their studies into university. Guitarist Eamonn Barrett and keyboardist Paul O'Hara (known as "Lego") are self-taught players, each noted session performers in their respective fields, and bassist Bernard O'Neill is an engineer who has worked with Van Morrison and Bob Dylan at Dublin's Factory Studios. Finding instant chemistry as a band, Jove were a hit inside and out of the practice room. While the fledgling band quickly constructed a number of tracks that would eventually appear on its debut album, Jove were invited for one of their first performances to open for legendary Dublin rockers Aslan in December of 2003. In 2005, shortly after becoming the first unsigned group ever to sell out Dublin's Olympia Theatre, Jove became Royseven. "Roy" was chosen because it is the oldest and most personal song in the band's repertoire, while to avoid a clash of names, the number seven was appended to represent each of...