Thursday 10/04/08 Royal Treatment Plant @ Madame JoJos, London

Many are the recent rock outfits with a leading lady surrounded by guys: the formula has borne fruit for The Gossip, Garbage and the Cardigans among others. Comparisons with such acts are inevitable for Royal Treatment Plant, a band of boys fronted by the beguiling (and strangely monikered) Princess P – but they are also unnecessary.

For this London fivepiece (drummer Chris, keyboardist Tommy, bassist DJ and guitarist Sam support her ladyship’s vocals and sometime strumming) are carving their own noisy niche. Thursday’s show in Madame JoJo’s dainty lower chamber doubled as the launch party for single ‘Get Played’, currently doing as instructed on Radio 1. It was also a chance to prove future prowess and lock in that limelight.

The odds immediately seem good, with a pleasing variety the theme of RTP’s opening salvo. Sponsored by spunky guitar licks, opener ‘Hope Is Not Enough’ sees the Princess strutting in circuits around her mike stand between strongly held notes and very voluble choruses. Next number ‘Carry Me’ is a wirier, vaguely lo-fi affair, despite Tommy’s tambourine tonking, ending with synchronised guitar grinds. 

Next up is the new single. The type of chirpy, pop-punk tune everyone knows - think quiet verse, bubbling bridge, sudden explosive chorus (complete with strobes), quiet verse... – ‘Get Played’ wouldn’t be out of place decorating an episode of Skins. Quite the crowd pleaser, the song particularly delights a lesbian who looks like Agyness Deyn and a sleazy version of Bill Oddie, complete with flared suit and deck shoes.

After such a breathless start, RTP slow things down, replacing louder attention-grabbers with rangier, more subtle stuff. The lights dim for ‘Half As Much’, a slumberous slice of Sunday whimsy capable of mellowing even the Madame herself. This segues neatly into ‘Crackwhore’, opening with pre-recorded pants (breaths, not briefs) that are vaguely reminiscent of ‘Say What You Want’ by Texas (another lady-led success story).