Royal Republic

Formed in Malmö toward the end of 2007, the Swedish rock band Royal Republic consists of Adam Grahn on lead vocals and guitar, Hannes Irengård on guitar, Jonas Almén on bass, and Per Andreasson on drums. Their sound fuses high-energy garage rock with rock & roll drive reminiscent of Mando Diao and the Hives. On their 2010 debut We Are the Royal, the opening three singles each topped Swedish station Bandit Rock’s “most wanted” list, while “Tommy-Gun” separately reached the summit of the MTV Rock charts. The follow-up Save the Nation arrived in 2012 and climbed to number 24 on the Swedish albums chart and number 14 in Germany; during this period the quartet performed across Europe and Australia, including appearances at the major Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals. In 2014 they issued the compilation Royal Republic & the Nosebreakers, presenting earlier material reimagined in an acoustic-country style. Weekend Man, released two years later, restored their rock foundation while still allowing traces of those country textures to surface. Club Majesty, issued in 2019, adopted an ’80s aesthetic and featured a glammed-up, VHS-shot video for its lead single “Anna-Leigh.” Both Weekend Man and Club Majesty reached the German Top 20.