South Yorkshire indie band The Reytons open shop at Sheffield's Meadowhall to mark release of ‘What’s Rock and Roll’

The band exploded onto the UK music scene in 2021, with their debut album ‘Kids Off The Estate’ reaching number 11 in the UK album charts and to date has sold over 22,000 copies.

To mark their second album, ‘What’s Rock and Roll?’, released on January 20, the band, made up of vocalist and lyricist Jonny Yerrell, bassist Lee Holland, Joe O’ Brien on lead guitar and Jamie Todd on drums, launched their first Meadowhall exclusive pop-up store and exhibition, with tickets selling out within hours of being released. The independent band are “like the people next door”, with just the four musicians, their manager, friends, and family all building and supporting their success.

Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, said: “We’re proud to welcome home-grown talent, The Reytons to host their first ever pop-up store in the centre this week. “We’re excited to offer fans of the band the chance to browse a wide range of merch and records and experience the exhibition exploring the band’s journey so far.”

In an exclusive interview with The Star, the band discussed the inspiration behind the new album. They said: “We write about where we’re from, we’re a South Yorkshire band influenced by South Yorkshire people and British people in general, the songs are just stories, and people have jumped on board with that and thats what we want to carry on doing with the second album.”

Vocalist, Jonny Yerrell, discussed their admiration for their fans saying: “we’ve got a very loyal fanbase which we’re forever grateful for. Politics doesn’t matter, race, religion, gender. I say it all the time, no matter where we go, the only thing that changes is the accent.”

Despite the band selling 22,000 copies of their first album, they have said that there is “a lot of unfinished business”, aiming for the new album to climb to the top without distractions. This dream may become a reality, with the independent band currently on course for a number one album.

The band “struggle to compute” their success, with sold out arenas in their home city, Sheffield, still leaving them speechless. They look ahead to the future, saying: “The number one goal is to just carry on enjoying what we’re doing, that’s all that matters now.”