 02/10/2008 If I were to dissect Royal Treatment Plant and pull back the layers, I’d probably be faced with many things. But what?
With steel handle pressed nervously against my sweaty palm and secured against the base of thumb, I extend my index finger along the scalpel, ease my hand forward and - with the gleaming metallic blade, make an incision.
As the blood slowly seeps, the first thing you notice is a tender and fragile heart beating at the centre; one of lyrical heartache and defiance. Underneath a confident and bolshy exterior, lays a fragile skeleton that has been broken before; now rebuilt and resolute.
Through the veins pump elements of Throwing Muses’ ability to create shifting melodies, the rushing of Pixies’ quiet/loud dynamic and the poised, nonchalant elegance of The Duke Spirit.
Royal Treatment Plant’s background is a little more unconventional than many bands. Singer and guitarist PP was brought up in New Guinea, an Island just north of Australia, to a devoted church going family. Studying classical music into her teens, she talks about her childhood, reflecting that, “my background was very religious, we wasn’t allowed to listen to any new music”. So, having been sheltered from the larger world, she decided to leave that behind and come to London.
Here enters DJ. When he isn’t slapping the bass for RTP, he’s a teacher, dancer and Musical Director/Arranger, for the Phil McIntyre approved ‘Into The Hoods’ show.
At 18, a career as an opera singer beckoned; until a stumbling block appeared: “There was something about having to wait until you were 27 to do it, so when I went to Uni I thought, ‘sod that’ and ended up trying lots of stuff out”. And thus, discovering Guns ‘n’ Roses and Nirvana was the fire in the belly needed to propel him into RTP.
Beefing up the cannon is Sam on Guitar, Tommy T on Keyboards and Chris beating the heck out of Drums. XFM have jumped on their wagon, whilst the mighty rock titans at L.A.’s KROQ have been belting out RTP since they got their grubby little mitts on their debut single, Get Played.
But the attention didn’t stop there, one Mike Chapman (Blondie) popped up into view, as PP explains: “(He) found us on MySpace - we thought it was a joke - and said he really liked us and just kept tabs on us. “
Having been sent rough mixes, Chapman worked his magic, producing ‘Hope Is Not Enough’ and ‘Undercurrent’ from RTP’s debut album ‘Hope Is Not Enough’.
Musically the album sweeps from all directions, cascading with taught rhythms and boisterous melodies. ‘Get Played’ drips with sensual and fiery energy; unforgiving riffs charge relentlessly forward, stopping only to whiplash you into a painful jolt. Scornful vocals utter, ‘you didn’t come here to make a new friend’. Then you have ‘Hearts and Minds,’ where the tempo slows down into a dreamy and melancholic acceptance, ‘Undercurrent,’ a bittersweet frenetic journey, twisting through pinball melodies, and the punky new-wave of ‘Carry Me’.
DIY to the core, the band put out their own records, direct and film their own videos, and book their own tours; like so many other bands, they’ve become disillusioned with some areas of the music business.
The album title itself sums up their experiences and attitude to date, with PP softly saying: “Sometimes it’s true, hope is not enough; you can’t hope things will be ok”. Lee Puddefoot |
