Biography

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 the unique elements involved in the creation of the music: the six performers and the listener. In mid-2005, Royseven signed a deal with Universal Music Group. Their debut album, The Art of Insincerity, was recorded with producer Marc Carolan in 2005. It was released in May 2006, not in Ireland, but in Germany, where the group had already built up an impressive following. Royseven spent much of the summer on the festival circuit, including a performance in front of 22,000 people at the World Cup Fan Fest in Gelsenkirchen, before returning home in September to release their first single, "Older," which debuted sixth in the Irish Singles chart. The Art of Insincerity was released a month later, debuting at number 17. On February 1, 2007, the group was awarded the Hope for 2007 honor at the seventh annual Meteor Music Awards, Ireland's equivalent to the Brits and the Juno Awards. ~ Dave Donnelly, Rovi